What would the RIAA like people to know about the lawsuit program now that it has ended?
The program was designed to educate fans about the law, the consequences of breaking the law, and raise awareness about all the great legal sites in the music marketplace. Like any tough decision, there are trade offs. On balance, the legal marketplace is far better off because of the program: 1) Educational Impact: Awareness of the illegality of downloading without permission surged from 35 – 72 percent following/during the initiation of the program. 2) Digital Marketplace Surges: Digital revenues have grown from nearly $200 million in ‘04 to $2.3 billion in ‘07 (estimates for ‘08 – $3 billion), accounting for 25 percent of all retail value revenue (upwards of 30 percent at end of ’08). 3) Illicit P2P Growth Constrained But Still Major Problem: Prior to the campaign, illegal p2p music trading was growing exponentially. Since 2004, the percentage of Internet-connected households that have downloaded music from p2p is essentially flat (NPD).
