While Big Media lobby bodies like the Recording Industry Artists Association (RIAA) insist on criminalizing those who share music and have long blamed piracy for the decline of their industry, renowned DJ and producer David Guetta has said the industry should embrace piracy because it helps sell out concerts.
Guetta may be one of the most informed on the subject, as numerous studies in recent years have shown that music pirates spend more money on legal purchases, such asconcert tickets and merchandise, relative to those who don’t share music.
The French DJ said in a recent interview with the BBC that unauthorized file sharing helps to bring people to his concerts, increasing the amount of business he does rather than hurting it.
“I just want people to have access to my music. If there was no piracy, why can I sell out 20,000 people every night in Brazil?” Guetta said.
“Is it because of how many records we sold in the shops? Of course not.”
The Frenchman, who isn’t opposed to making a buck, acknowledged that in an ideal world every listener would pay something, but this isn’t always possible. The mega-artist has previously opted to give music away for free to solve the piracy issue.
“I wish that every person who’s listening to my music would send me a little check. That would make me a very rich person, that would be wonderful. But at the same time this is impossible,” Guetta says.
“You can’t fight progress, so you better embrace it,” he adds.
With an estimated net worth of dozens of millions Guetta is a good example of the economic reality music and Big Media companies continue to deny: Piracy doesn’t hurt, it helps.
Stay Connected
