It won’t happen to me: An assessment of optimism bias in music piracy

Piracy continues to be a threat to the global economy. Previous literature on factors influencing individual’s attitude towards piracy indicates that as perceived risk increases, individuals attitude of acceptance of piracy should decrease. In spite of the increased risks, some people pirate, there has been no explanation for this apparent paradox. We attempt to explain this paradox by using the concept of optimism bias. Results of structural equation modeling using a sample of 219 college students provide evidence that individuals having an optimism bias engage in piracy because they consider themselves to be at lower risk than average compared to a group. Implications for practice and future research avenues are discussed.

► Introduces a new concept ‘optimism bias’ (OB). ► Explains why individuals involve in music piracy. ► Strong theoretical foundation based on TRA, TPB, and theory of optimism bias. ► OB moderates the relationship between perceived risk and attitude towards piracy. ► Tests the veracity of the model using 219 subjects.