Those aren’t customers.

I know I said I wouldn’t respond to you, but this is one of the “big myths” that people like to repeat all the time: that people who download illegally won’t pay for music, and “just want stuff for free.”

The fact is, every legitimate study ever made proves this is wrong. People who illegally share files actually buy much more music, legally, than people who do not. For instance:

A study released this week by Jupiter Research reports that about 34 percent of veteran file swappers say they are spending more on music than they did before they started downloading files.
– Study: File sharing boosts music sales

Digital music research firm The Leading Question found that they spent four and a half times more on paid-for music downloads than average fans.
– Downloading ‘myths’ challenged

A newly study commissioned by Industry Canada, which includes some of the most extensive surveying to date of the Canadian population on music purchasing habits, finds what many have long suspected (though CRIA has denied) – there is a positive correlation between peer-to-peer downloading and CD purchasing.
– Gov’t Commissioned Study Finds P2P Downloaders Buy More Music

Researchers monitored the music download habits of 1,900 web users age 15 and above. Over time, the study found that users who downloaded music illegally from P2P file-sharing sites like BitTorrent ultimately made ten times as many legit music purchases than the law abiding users.
– Study finds file-sharers buy ten times more music

Now, obviously, studies like this cannot prove that illegal file sharing causes legit purchases (correllation is not causation), though it does suggest the possibility. What it does prove is that the core base of music fans, and the core base of music “pirates,” are exactly the same people.

So, yes: When you attack pirates, you attack your biggest customers.

Perhaps this could be the next “debunking” post on Techdirt?