eBooks proving Grandmothers know tech, can pirate content too!
A law firm (Wiggin) has just published a survey that says one in eight woman over the age of 35 have admitted to digital ebook piracy. This is something that was expected when books went digital. But when you compare pirated ebooks by the same women to how much music they illegally download, it’s really not a comparison. It turns out even though one in eight pirate books, only one in twenty do the same with music. The findings come from an annual Digital Entertainment Survey performed by the law firm. Almost 2,000 people participated in the online poll. Out of those respondents, about 1/4 of them said they will continue to download their ebooks illegally. What’s this mean for the industry?
This is a tricky situation considering those copyright laws and all. I have to say that being a Nook Color owner, I can definitely sympathize with these ladies. I don’t illegally obtain my books (I’d rather go the library route), but something about paying $15 for an ebook which hasn’t been printed with on paper, stored in a warehouse, shipped to a store and then purchased through said store doesn’t add up. I can purchase a used book on Amazon for mere pennies, a new one from a couple of bucks ($), or a Kindle version for $8.99-$14.99. Unfortunately, I can’t do the same with a Kindle book or any other ebook.
Ebook sales are charging through the roof, and that’s a great thing in most aspects. There are plenty of reasons to go the digital route, but with this rise in popularity, I don’t think prices will be coming down any time soon. That’s a bummer in my opinion considering how over-inflated these price points are. If I can get a full music album on Amazon and iTunes from $6-$11, I should be able to consistently get my books for less. Most people read a book once, and never come back to it. Most people buy an album and listen to it for years. I understand writers and publishers should get their fair share, and that’s great. But at some point, some high volume pricing isn’t a bad thing. Look at Wal-Mart for this example.
source: telegraph.uk
