Oops, don't do it again!

Peer-to-peer music-swapping sites will soon come under attack from a new leader in the music industry's anti-piracy movement. Pop star Britney Spears this month will begin appearing in TV ads warning that illegally downloading music is the same as stealing a CD from a record store. Other artists, including Madonna and rapper Nelly, will be joining in the ad campaign.

The artists' concerns may be justified. According to an audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Recording Industry Association of America, U.S. music shipments dropped 10.1%, from 442.8 million units in the first half of 2001 to 398.1 million units in the first half of 2002. In dollar value, this represents a 6.7% decrease, from $5.93 billion in the first half of 2001 to $5.53 billion in the first half of this year. Record producers blame piracy for such woes but don't factor in the state of the economy into the analysis.

But making an impact figures to be difficult, as peer-to-peer music-swapping sites are fast becoming the norm for obtaining music. Finding an alternative means of interacting with customers is likely to be a more productive solution for the music industry than having millionaire artists cry poverty through a new version of an old anti-piracy song.