Sir, There is no firm evidence that illegal file sharing costs jobs (letter Sept 5). The notoriously parsimonious entertainment industry has only itself to blame for people being attracted to file sharing because of the excessively high prices which it charges.
There are many examples of strategies to keep prices high. Legal downloads of mp3 files, a format which was developed for convenience rather than sound quality, are similar in price to the corresponding CD (which includes documentation) when in fact they should be a fraction of the price owing to zero distribution and middle man costs. Then there is the 50-year rule during which royalties are paid even if the original artist is dead. Collectors had to pay full price for Maria Callas recordings until the 50 years were up and then saw the prices drop by two thirds. Many of us had already paid for the copyright when we bought the discs on vinyl.
Most companies overcharge for discs which cost pennies to produce but there are a few companies which offer wonderful value for money, for collectors can buy the complete works of Beethoven, Bach, Haydn and Mozart for around 50p a disc. With value for money such as this file sharing becomes a non-starter.
The entertainment industry should address the problem of pricing, and the Government should steer well clear of interfering in an industry whose problems are largely self-inflicted because of its greed.
Dr John Watson
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Newtownards, Co Down
Sir, As I have paid at least three times already for Beatles issues — on LP, cassette and CD — can EMI, the publisher of the digitally remastered albums, let us all know where the free exchange facility is?
Ed Selby
Middlesbrough