The Economics of P2P - Progressive?

[Kevin Robert Dean]

"For all of these creative artists, most laboring in
obscurity, being well-enough known to be pirated would be a
crowning achievement. Piracy is a kind of progressive
taxation, which may shave a few percentage points off the
sales of well-known artists (and I say "may" because even
that point is not proven), in exchange for massive benefits
to the far greater number for whom exposure may lead to
increased revenues.

Our current distribution systems for books, music, and
movies are skewed heavily in favor of the "haves" against
the "have nots." A few high-profile products receive the
bulk of the promotional budget and are distributed in large
quantities; the majority depend, in the words of Tennessee
Williams' character Blanche DuBois, "on the kindness of
strangers." 

Full:
http://www.openp2p.com/pub/a/p2p/2002/12/11/piracy.html
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