Money is an exhaustible resource
If they want to do a worthwhile study, find out how much copyright infringers pay for media, etc. compared to their snow white compatriots.
I'd bet that the total spent is similar or more for those that annoy big media. Rather than taking and spending nothing, these people are simply enforcing an 'all you can eat' model onto an industry that habitually overvalues its product.
People can't spend more than they have, and one way or another they tend to spend it in the end.
Better for government to do something to break down the parasites in big media and ensure that the producers get more of the bottom line. Frankly, in a download world, there is no excuse for the creators cut to be less than 50%. Put that into a law and I'll believe you have the interests of promoting new production at heart.