Wired is running at article about The Shadow Internet, the culture behind the Peer-to-Peer (p2p) file swapping networks which are changing how the entertainment industry does business. "They start with a single stolen file and pump out bootleg games and movies by the millions. Inside the pirate networks that are terrorizing the entertainment business." From the industry insiders, to the distributors, and on to the public... a complete look at how music, movies, games, and more are pushed out to the next major distribution channels, the p2p networks. These upper levels of these "dark nets" are hidden behind layers of security and often use extremely strong encryption for transferring files among themselves. However, it's not cloaks and daggers. Bruce Forest, consultant to the entertainment industry and veteran of the piracy scene, has started a company called Jun Group that uses the p2p networks to promote movies, musicians, and television.

The topsites don't care where their files come from, as long as no one else has them," he says. Last summer Jun Group dropped a collection of live videos and MP3s from Steve Winwood on the topsites. "We got 2.9 million downloads," says Forest, "and album sales took off.

This article is an awesome look into the mysterious world behind the p2p networks that are reshaping the ways we get our entertainment. I believe its time for the entertainment industry to jump on the file-swaping bandwagon and try to harness its immense power.