Let me tell you, though, there are a lot of rewards from being "first". Either the first person to get your hands on a pre-release item, or the first one to rip it, or the first group to release it, or the first racer to move it the fastest to the top.
It is beautiful in its simplicity - but there are many incentives to get people to be 'the first'.
Just like the price mechanism in modern day capitalist economies is beautiful in its simplicity to get people to move into a market were demand is high.
So I think the vast majority of the people involved in "the scene" are doing it for the incentives/rewards that come with being first. If everybody tries to be first and is racing against everyone else, the entire system gets efficient at moving pre-release stuff very quickly.
It's impossible to fight - which is why it still thrives today.
That type of access is rare and people usually get credits to allow them to download what they want. The best people get unlimited access.
So, just like any community, there are some perks that bring prestige and status within the community.
Don't underestimate how valuable that is.
The foolish people would take that access and try to sell it - that's how you get busted and get into trouble.
[1]: I get that the group pays for it, but what the source of the money is, I don't know. Are people just sinking money into for the 'props' of being first? Is there a greater financial reward for being first (if so, where does it come from)?
A lot of money enters the scene via people who directly or indirectly buy "leech accounts" from these groups. These unlimited use FTP accounts give the buyer a very convenient way to acquire everything that has ever been released by anyone.
Also, interestingly enough, while release groups selling FTP access is a common practice and done by basically everyone, FTP administrators can't sell accounts directly, as it is extremely taboo for people other than the members of groups to profit from the scene.
What are the incentives? Are these just people that have cheap access to fat connections, so the cost of running the FTP site is minimal? The ability to create 'leech accounts' for friends/family so long as they aren't sold (or is this also taboo)? Is unlimited personal access enough of an incentive?