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| DESPITE TANGLED WEB OF MISLABELED FILES, "SPIDER-MAN" THE MOST DOWNLOADED MOVIE ON KAZAA |
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BELMONT, MA - May 21, 2002 - Despite confusion caused by mislabeled files and mysterious blank bogus copies, "Spider-Man" was the most downloaded movie on the Kazaa file sharing system for the week of May 12-18, according to Redshift Research, a leading authority on peer-to-peer (P2P) services.
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Redshift Research compiles its download estimates by first identifying working copies of movies on the Kazaa file sharing network, and then monitoring how many times these files are downloaded by Kazaa users. During the identification process many of the files labeled as "Spider-Man" were found to be copies of "Changing Lanes," while other files produced a blank screen and no sound. A working copy of the "Spider-Man" movie was obtained from Kazaa on May 12, nine days after the movie's theatrical release.
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Over the following seven days, the genuine copy of "Spider-Man" became the most popular movie downloaded using the Kazaa network. In second place was "The Scorpion King" (released April 19), followed by "Jason X" (released April 26). For every ten copies of "Spider-Man" downloaded, "The Scorpion King" was downloaded 6.5 times and "Jason X" 3.3 times.
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"It took two weeks for "Spider-Man" to become widely available on file sharing networks, a delay typical for new movies," said Matt Bailey, President of Redshift Research. "Pirate copies of new movies appear quickly, but not overnight as many people fear."
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It is the mislabeling of files that causes confusion over the speed with which new movies appear on file-sharing networks. Pirate copies of "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones," released May 16, appear to be widely available, but as of May 21 Redshift Research had been unable to access a working copy using Kazaa. Files labeled as the blockbuster movie have proved to be blank or poor quality copies of "Monsters, Inc."
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About Redshift Research
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Launched in 2002, Redshift Research provides in-depth research and analysis for the distributed computing and digital entertainment industries. The company's services include research, strategic consulting, litigation support and the analysis and valuation of new market opportunities. Redshift Research was founded by Matt Bailey, a respected digital media analyst and former member of Webnoize Research.
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