The lowdown on downloads?

NORTH CAROLINA (Harvard Business Review) - The effect of illegal downloads on record sales is "indistinguishable from zero", according to a newly completed study by researchers at Harvard Business School and the University of North Carolina.
The researchers argue that the internet actually could have a positive impact for the music industry by exposing new singles, much as radio did in the past.

A spokesperson for The Record Industry Association of America claims the research is flawed, saying, "Our own surveys show that those who are downloading more are buying less."