Professors at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina conclude in a new study released today that music downloads do not seem to have any impact on music industry sales. Their study concludes “downloads have an effect on sales which is statistically indistinguishable from zero, despite rather precise estimates, moreover, these estimates are of moderate economic significance and are inconsistent with claims that file sharing is the primary reason for the recent decline in music sales”
Sharman Networks, the company behind the file-trading service Kazaa, was happy to hear about this. This comes, incidentally, as file sharers in Canada await a key ruling from the Federal Court of Canada that will determine if the music industry can force ISPs to turn over customer data so that the record industry can more easily sue those it believes are guilty of copyright infringement.
Meanwhile, The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is suing 247 file sharers in Canada, Italy, Germay, and Denmark, and Canada.
Finally, market researchers Ipsos-Reid report that use of legal music download services exploded last year.
The Slashdotters are kicking this study and its implications around.