title_body: How does DRM impact the sales of eBooks? DRM (Digital rights management) is a somewhat controversial anti-piracy measure.  There are strong arguments on both sides of the debate, this question is not about the should/shouldn't debate.  It just about sales, does DRM have any impact on sales?
  
  Are there any studies indicating an impact on sales based on the presence or absence of DRM on ebooks?
upvoted_answer: There was a study1 done by Laurina Zhang about the effects of DRM on music sales. In her conclusion1 she states:
  
  
    My analysis in this paper, based on a large representative sample of
    albums from all four major record companies, sheds light on this
    question. I find that the removal of DRM increases digital sales by
    10%.
  
  
  While this does not directly address the eBook industry, it does suggest that DRM may also have a negative impact on sales of Ebooks.
  
  1Warning: Links directly to pdf.