An anecdote is irrelevant. There's vast amounts of peer reviewed research that supports the need for DRM, and unequivocally proves the financial harm piracy can inflict on content creators
Could you give an example (or many) since as you say the evidence is vast. I did a cursory search, and couldn't find sources, but perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places.
I can't find any musician, economist, or researcher who has ever complained about this, or suggested that DRM would help their financials.