File-swapping networks alone are not to blame for the recording industry’s woes and might plausibly be converted into legitimate channels for distributing music, one of Europe’s most influential economic bodies has concluded.
In a report issued Monday, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development — a Paris-based alliance of developed nations — also suggested that it’s difficult to establish a link between piracy and the music industry’s shrinking revenues.
The report said a “re-evaluation” of music distribution needs to happen to achieve a balance between consumers’ desire to access digital music and the industry’s copyright protection concerns.
“Online technologies could evolve in a manner in which unauthorized use of copyright works are finally transformed into legitimate businesses,” said Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, an OECD economist and one of the report’s authors.
