This Week in Digital Media: Cracking down on Piracy

Will stricter enforcement against piracy lead to increased online radio listenership?

In a recent report by CNET, several major internet service providers have been in talks with the recording industry to help crack down on piracy. Although in the early stages, this looks as if the record labels may have finally convinced ISP’s to aid them in reducing the amount of illegal content online.

For over a decade, record labels and consumers have been in a constant battle over illegal file sharing. However, the method of protecting artists and their music has never been clearly and strictly enforced. Certain high profile suits have been filed between record labels and individuals, but for the casual user, the threat of the recording industry knocking on your door seemed like nothing more than a scare tactic.

Not anymore. With the ISP’s monitoring illegal downloads, the repercussions are instant, and users are easily monitored. Pirates of illegal material will be cited, and potentially banned from using the service altogether. As the internet becomes more involved in our daily lives, the thought of not having it might just be enough to prevent people from abusing it.

Does this mean that we will see an increase in online radio listenership? Probably. Another post from a few weeks back (see here) discussed the increase of internet radio among consumers due to mobile applications, and predicted major changes within the next few years. This will undoubtedly be a factor as well.

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