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Report: musicians split over file-sharing

The Pew Internet and American Life Project, the section of the Pew Research Center specializing in studying the effect of the Internet on society, released a report Dec. 5 examining the opinion of musicians about the relationship between the Internet and music.

The report, entitled "Artists, Musicians and the Internet," asked artists how they use the Internet and how they feel about copyright issues and file-sharing.

"We are an impartial, nonpartisan organization, so we felt we could bring researchers to this debate of value because of this reason," said Mary Madden, author of the report.

The project used three categories of artists and American adults, according to the report.

The first category featured a random, nationally-representative survey of 809 American adults identified as artists. The second category featured a non-random survey of 2,755 artists. The third category featured a random, nationally-representative survey of 2,013 American adults.

"The report shows that there is a diversity of views out there among a wide variety of musicians," Madden said.

Forty-seven percent of artists agreed that file-sharing is bad for them because it allows people to trade music files without requiring artists' approval.

Forty-three percent of artists agreed that file-sharing is good for them because it promotes their music to a large audience.

Second-year College student and musician Seth Strawbridge said he believes that file-sharing is beneficial.

"I love file-sharing because I can promote my music by putting it out for free," Strawbridge said. "Small-time bands generate revenue on the road at venues, not from record sales."

Musicians are the group most affected by the file-sharing capabilities of the Internet, as compared to the recording industry and individual file-sharers, according to the report.

Supporters of the survey cite the importance of recognizing the opinion of musicians.

The Future of Music Coalition, a nonprofit think tank aimed at educating musicians and the public about the relationship between music and technology, highlights the need to address the opinions of musicians on its Web site.

The Recording Industry Association of America points to the negative effects of unauthorized file-sharing on artists. The unauthorized transfer of music files hurts musicians because they do not receive compensation for the transfer of their music, according to the RIAA Web site.

The organization Boycott-RIAA supports the rights of artists, but opposes the practices of the RIAA involving file-sharing. This organization argues that the issue is not so much the role of copyright but the control of distribution by the recording industry, according to the Boycott-RIAA Web site.

"We hope the report will inform and bring a wider view of opinions to debate and will stimulate future debate with the artists," Madden said. "The report is the first step in looking at these issues, although there is much more to be done."

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