Eric Dively 
The impact of digital piracy is out of control and many music professionals are feeling its negative effects. Of course the owner of the material loses out on the profit of the sale but the dilemma runs deeper. A ripple effect occurs throughout the industry when content is pirated. The entire financial system feels the impact. As works are stolen, revenue is lost. If entities aren’t able to make money on their products or services, work evaporates.
Brian Warwick has been a professional recording engineer working in Los Angeles, Calif. for the last ten years. Some of his clients include “Weird Al” Yankovic, Michael Bublé and Ludacris. He has contributed to 12 albums that were nominated for Grammy Awards. He is also an instructor of his craft at the Los Angeles Film School. It is here where he teaches sound principles.
Warwick says, “As soon as I got to L.A., recording engineering was already in a huge recession because of the [illegal] downloading of music. Studios started closing and engineering rates were just falling through the floor. Even my first engineering rates were way higher than they are now. The funny thing is that I’ve never known anything but an industry in recession.” Unfortunately though, this is anything but a laughing matter when so many people can’t make a living. Because of this, the music industry has taken the lead in the fight against online piracy.
The advent of digital recording and creation software have had a vital impact on entertainment as a whole. The music side of the industry is no exception. The digital audio workstation (DAW) has brought the recording studio into people’s homes. The condition of the industry isn’t completely due to digital piracy but it is a major reason how we got to where we are today.
