Abstract
Peer to peer file sharing networks established in the late 1990s with the introduction of Napster and evolved with networks and applications such as Limewire, eMule and BitTorrents accounted for roughly 27% to 55% of all Internet traffic in their peak times.
Other technologies have now been introduced which started to see P2P Network traffic decline, dropping from 3.5% to 0.6% of total internet traffic. Or reported by the University of Michigan peer-to-peer network traffic has gone from 4 percent of all Internet traffic to about half a percent in recent years.
The Apple iTunes store with a catalogue of over 12 million songs, 55,000 TV episodes and 8,500 movies amongst 50 million customers who have downloaded more than two billion songs, 50 million television episodes and over 1.3 million films. Have shown that peer to peer file sharing networks (like BitTorrent, eMule etc.) are not dead but declining.
Further to that YouTube with over 2 billion viewers a day hosting content for partners such as CBS, FOX, Disney and more, consume 10% of all Web traffic. TV channels and production companies have now started publishing their shows online ad received just over 1 million viewers watching their content. 29.5% of all internet traffic in 2009 was for real-time entertainment which increased to 42.7% in 2010.
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Legal battles such as the 2003 RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) actions upon 261 music fans for sharing songs on P2P Networks and in more recent times U.S. district judge Kimba Wood ordering Limewire to disable functionality of their file sharing network have all contributed to the decline in peer to peer file sharing networks and its users.
Although peer to peer file sharing networks (like BitTorrent, eMule etc.) are not dead they are on a decline due to the convenience and availability of other technologies such as on-demand media through production company and TV channel websites, iTunes and video sites such as YouTube. There is little evidence to support that peer to peer file sharing networks are about to evolve into something else.
1. Introduction
This essay will investigate the topic of “Are peer to peer file sharing networks (like BitTorrent, eMule etc.) dead or are they about to evolve into something else?”
The middle to late nineteen nineties saw the internet become economically available in average households. With the internet evolving, technologies leveraging from internet users around the world were being introduced that provided an easy mechanism to share multimedia files such as music and videos. In 1999 Napster was born and this was the mainstream introduction to Peer to Peer file sharing networks. Throughout the new millennium peer to peer network traffic started to increase with the introduction of other applications, such as Limewire and eMule for example. It didn’t take long for peer to peer traffic network traffic to grow so large with the introduction of BitTorrent technology that in February 2009 it was estimated that it accounted for roughly 27% to 55% of all Internet traffic (depending on geographical location) (Schulze, H & Mochalski, K 2009).
The essay will first look at what a peer to peer file sharing network is, then flow into other forms of file sharing and download methods available. As well as giving the reader an understanding of the technologies in question this essay will investigate the statistics of the relevant technology’s and explore if peer to peer file sharing is becoming something of the past or evolving into something else.
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Introduction Online file sharing has been around ever since networks have been in use. There is nothing new with file sharing now other than the vast amount of files currently being shared. Even though what is currently shared is not all legal, and some are borderline in its legality, no matter what an industry can try, file sharing is here to stay. Although a file sharing giant may come down ...
2. Discussion
A Peer to Peer file sharing network from here on forward in the essay will be referred to as ‘P2P Network’. A P2P Network is a computer network where clients are connected to each other via a common software program and a computer network, most commonly the internet.
“Files can be shared directly between systems on the network without the need of a central server. In other words, each computer on a P2P network becomes a file server as well as a client.” (P2P (Peer To Peer) Definition 2011, p.1) Upon connecting to a network, the P2P network software “allows you to search for files on other people’s computers. Meanwhile, other users on the network can search for files on your computer, but typically only within a single folder that you have designated to share.” (P2P (Peer To Peer) Definition 2011, p.1) Although there are many different P2P networks and applications available, some of the most popular software programs include Napster, Limewire, BitTorrent, and eMule.
While P2P Networks ruled internet traffic and file sharing mechanisms in the new millennium, recently evidence has shown that there has been a decline in P2P Network traffic, as shown in Figure 1. The image shows the traffic monitored on the following ports 6346, 6882, 6881, 4662 which are the most commonly ports used by P2P File Sharing Applications and Networks.
Figure 1 (Arbor Networks 2009)
During the period of July 2007 and May 2009 the average percentage of internet traffic usage generated from P2P Networks dropped from 3.5% to 0.6%.
A great rival for P2P networks is the iTunes store which is software based digital media store operated by Apple. The iTunes store is available in combination with all Apple products (iPhone, iTouch, Mac) but is also available to other computer users on Microsoft Windows platforms. The iTunes store is now selling or even renting several media types such as movies, TV shows, music and even books. The low price and connivance of the iTunes Store is defiantly embraced by consumers leading them away from P2P Networks. iTunes store credit cards are available over the counter at supermarkets, post office and even garages, or users can simple charge the bill to their credit card of choice. In 2007 “Apple announced that more than two billion songs, 50 million television episodes and over 1.3 million feature-length films have been purchased and downloaded from the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com), making it the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store.” (Apple 2008, p.1) and just over a year later Apple announced that “With over 50 million customers, iTunes has sold over four billion songs” (Apple 2008, p.1).
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With such high statistics and a great catalogue “of over 12 million songs, over 55,000 TV episodes and over 8,500 movies” (Apple 2010, p.1) the iTunes store is certainly providing customers with audio, visual and e-print media thus luring people away from P2P file sharing networks.
YouTube although mainly dealing with audio/visual content is also swaying people away from P2P Networks. YouTube, founded in 2005 now has over 2 billion viewers a day viewing not only original and unique clips uploaded by users but also hosting content for partners such as CBS, FOX, Disney and more. (YouTube – Broadcast Yourself 2011) People do not need to obtain TV shows, music videos or other visual media from P2P networks as its often available to stream on YouTube.
Another expansion in the digital media revolution is TV channels and Production Company’s publishing their shows online for viewers to watch in their own time. This technology is known as real-time entertainment or on-demand media. This means viewers can watch their favourite shows legally and conveniently without the need for P2P file sharing networks. An example of this is the CBS network in North America and the ABC network in Australia. Both television networks offer TV shows on-demand via their respective sites. These on demand services are rapidly growing and evolving amongst television companies and viewers alike. An example is the ABC had 600 thousand viewers tune in for on-demand shows during April 2009 and only six months later in October 2009 they received just over 1 million viewers watching their content (Media Hunter 2009)
Further to that Canadian broadband network company Sandvine published the following figures shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 (TorrentFreak 2010)
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This figure shows that in 2009 29.5% of all internet traffic was for real-time entertainment which increased by a substantial amount to 42.7% in 2010.
The effect that real-time entertainment has had on P2P Networks is outlined by a report released by the University of Michigan “report’s findings show that peer-to-peer has gone from 4 percent of all Internet traffic to about half a percent. At the same time, streaming video has been exploding–the report estimates that 10 percent of all Web traffic is streaming video, making this the fastest-growing class of Internet applications identified by the researchers.” (Technology Review 2011, p.1)
Not only is P2P Network sharing numbers falling because other technologies are evolving making it easier, and more convenient to obtain files online but some law suits have deterred users from using P2P file sharing networks and in some cases have even seen these networks shut down. Napster was one of the founding P2P networks available for sharing copyrighted music amongst 60 million users, but law suits filed by Metallica and other music artists saw the network shut down in July 2001. (Costello, S 2002)
In 2003 the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) took legal action upon 261 music fans for sharing songs on P2P Networks (Electronic Frontier Foundation 2008).
As a result of these law suits “A new nationwide phone survey of 1,358 Internet users from November 18-December 14 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project showed that the percentage of music file downloaders had fallen to 14% (about 18 million users) from 29% (about 35 million)” (Madden, M & Lenhart, A 2004, p.1).
And in more recent times LimeWire a P2P network sharing not only music but documents and video files to more than 100 million users was ordered by U.S. district judge Kimba Wood to disable the “searching, downloading, uploading, file trading, and/or file distribution functionality” (Gonsalves, A 2010, p.1) of the software .
3. Conclusion
It was described that Peer to Peer established in the late 1990s with the introduction of Napster. P2P networks evolved with introductions of Limewire, eMule and eventually BitTorrents and continued growing to their peak in the mid-2000s where it was estimated that they accounted for roughly 27% to 55% of all Internet traffic (depending on geographical location).
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At the peak of P2P Networks other technologies were been introduced to the internet world which started to see P2P Network traffic decline, between the period of July 2007 and May 2009 the average percentage of internet traffic usage generated from P2P Networks dropped from 3.5% to 0.6%. The University of Michigan has reported similar findings which show that show peer-to-peer has gone from 4 percent of all Internet traffic to about half a percent in recent years.
Internet users were now using networks such as iTunes “which had over 12 million songs, over 55,000 TV episodes and over 8,500 movies” (Apple 2010, p.1) shared amongst 50 million customers who downloaded “more than two billion songs, 50 million television episodes and over 1.3 million films” (Apple 2008, p.1).
YouTube was available with over 2 billion viewers a day hosting content for partners such as CBS, FOX, Disney and more. 10% of all Web traffic is streaming video from services such as YouTube. TV channels and production companies have now started publishing their shows online for which is known as real-time entertainment or on-demand media. In April 2009 ABC had 600 thousand viewers tune in and only six months later in they received just over 1 million viewers watching their content. The magnitude of these services show that in 2009, 29.5% of all internet traffic was for real-time entertainment which increased by a substantial amount to 42.7% in 2010. All these new technologies have been slowly replacing P2P Network users and traffic.
Not only are the new available technologies steering people away from P2P Networks but heavily publicised legal battles have hit the audiences. In 2003 the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) took legal action upon 261 music fans for sharing songs on P2P Networks and as a result music file downloaders had fallen to 14% (about 18 million users) from 29% (about 35 million) when Pew Internet & American Life Project conducted their survey in 2004. LimeWire was ordered by U.S. district judge Kimba Wood to disable the functionality of the software basically shutting the P2P network down.
The Essay on Private Network Vpn Internet Access
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In conclusion this essay shows that although peer to peer file sharing networks (like BitTorrent, eMule etc.) are not dead they are on a decline due to the convenience and availability of other technologies such as on-demand media through production company and TV channel websites, iTunes and video sites such as YouTube. There is little evidence to support that peer to peer file sharing networks are about to evolve into something else.
References
Apple 2007, iTunes Store Tops Two Billion Songs, viewed 15 September 2011
Apple 2008, iTunes Store Top Music Retailer in the US, viewed 15 September 2011
Apple 2010, iTunes Store Tops 10 Billion Songs Sold, viewed 15 September 2011
Arbor Networks 2009, Global Decline of P2P. Viewed 18 September 2011.
Costello, S 2002, Court: Napster to remain shut down, PC World Australia. Viewed 18 September 2011,
Electronic Frontier Foundation 2008, RIAA v. The People: Five Years Later, viewed 18 September 2011, https://www.eff.org/wp/riaa-v-people-years-later
Gonsalves, A 2010, LimeWire Ordered To Shut Down, Informationweek. Viewed 18 September 2011,
Madden, M & Lenhart, A 2004, Sharp decline in music file swappers, Pew Internet & American Life Project. Viewed 18th September 2011,
Media Hunter 2009, ABC iView stats may be most interesting TV results of 2009. Viewed 18 September 2011,
Schulze, H & Mochalski, K 2009, Internet Study 2008/2009, Viewed 18 September 2011,
Technology Review 2011. Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Usurped by Streaming Video – Technology Review. Viewed 15 September 2011,
TechTerms 2011, P2P (Peer To Peer) Definition. Viewed 14 September 2011,
TorrentFreak 2010, Normalized Aggregate Traffic Profile, Viewed 18th September 2011. .
YouTube – Broadcast Yourself 2011, Timeline, Viewed 15th September 2011,
