3 ms·

But I'm sure you know at least some people who have downloaded things just to save even a single dollar. No, I don't. I've watched people pirate things, certai

But I'm sure you know at least some people who have downloaded things just to save even a single dollar. No, I don't. I've watched people pirate things, certainly, but never have I watched them while thinking "if piracy wasn't an option, they would have paid". Indeed, for many people piracy is a long and difficult process as they kludge through ad-laden pages and dead links. That's why services like Spotify are so successful. On paper, you could have pirated the music, but in practice piracy is much harder. There is nothing analogous for the publishing industry, but I would gladly pay upwards of $20 a month for access to all books.

squigz 2y ago
> “We think there is a fundamental misconception about piracy. Piracy is almost always a service problem and not a pricing problem,” he said. “If a pirate offers a product anywhere in the world, 24 x 7, purchasable from the convenience of your personal computer, and the legal provider says the product is region-locked, will come to your country 3 months after the US release, and can only be purchased at a brick and mortar store, then the pirate’s service is more valuable.” https://www.escapistmagazine.com/valves-gabe-newell-says-piracy-is-a-service-problem/ https://www.escapistmagazine.com/valves-gabe-newell-says-pir... This was true in 2011 and it's just as true now.