[Belfaborac]

Originally Posted by stonetools

Then maybe you need to get out more.

I rather think that applies to yourself. I use torrent sites on a regular basis (for reasons detailed in various other threads) and have done for as long as torrents have been around. Your statement that: "Actually, its not the failed artists who are featured at file sharing sites: it's the successful artists" is about as wrong as it could be. Pretty much anything and everything can be found with much the same ease. There are indies, there's old and obscure stuff which can't be found anywhere else and yes, there are of course the big hitters.

Check out the screen grabs at The Ethical Fan:

Why? Do you imagine that this Ethical Fan, about whom I know nothing, somehow lends your assertions more credence?

There's a lot more there and elsewhere.

And there's at least an equal amount to be found which disputes and contradicts whatever is said in your preferred links.

David Lowery at the Trichordist minces no words:

Yeah, well, I've no idea who he is either.

Those millions and billions are coming from ad revenues. Do you think those pirate site servers operate for free ? Well, think again.

Well, that shows how much you know. There are scores, if not hundreds of torrent sites out there without a single ad on them and which operate without charging users or members a penny. Instead they rely solely on voluntary donations from users. Since many of them have operated for years it must work fairly well. I'm sure there are as many, or more, who do advertise and/or charge, but I've personally never actually visited one.