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Originally Posted by Elfwreck
So why hasn't it happened for those companies & authors who release their works without DRM?
If lack of DRM causes casual sharing, to the detriment of the company, why hasn't Baen gone bankrupt? Why hasn't Ellora's Cave? How is Konrath getting richer every month, instead of his books being shared by so many people that he can't sell them anymore? Where's all the casual sharing that should be hurting these companies?
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I actually think that sharing of books encourages sales. I've certainly picked up authors as a result of library reads, borrowing from a friend, etc. I almost never pick up a book blind for $8.
My secondary source would be cheap used books. I've certainly picked up authors for $2-$3 used at a used bookstore and become fans.
I think the music industry is suffering because people buy more singles (a point someone else has made) and also because people simply don't hear music any more. I have one rock radio station around me and I barely listen to it - it's a Clearchannel owned station that tends to run the same top-40 type tracks all of the time.
I rarely hear new music any more. It doesn't help that the RIAA has decided that the people are their enemies. I NEVER buy new CDs or music any more as a result - and I was the kind of person that ran multiple Columbia House memberships and bought lots of CDs in the 90s.
I think that sharing actually leads to greater sales. Some studies have suggested this (or that at minimum they have little effect)...like this one:
http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/ippd-dp...h_ip01456.html
I think that if they successfully get books into a DRM'd, one-person-one-new-ebook-at-MSRP model, they are going to lose more money than ever. I'm almost never willing to chance reading something at full MSRP. I think most people are hesitant to do this. Part of the problem with the PC gaming market, I think, is that people hate buying something they cannot return and cannot resell if it sucks. That makes people hesitant to buy.