Piracy good for music business

Piracy is good for business, according to music analysts discussing the future of music at this week’s World Mobile Congress.

Since Napster started to gobble the sales of albums and CDs a decade ago, the music industry has been searching for ways to make money from its artists’ recordings. The innovation of pirates — who can find customers, make music accessible, and get pricing right — should be copied. It’s time to pirate the pirates.

“Piracy is a naughty word in the music business, but it indicates a level of interest,” says Cecelia Kurtzman, the New York-based manager of Alicia Keyes and Shakira, who is engaged to local Barcelona soccer player Gerard Pique.