Collapse in illegal music sharing

[jalaffa]

They are the record companies' bogeyman: the 15-year-old in their bedroom ripping off a star's latest album and sharing it with their friends has been blamed for bringing an industry to its knees.

But new research shows that the number of teenagers illegally sharing music has fallen dramatically in the past year.

The survey of 1,000 fans also shows that many 14 to 18 year olds are now streaming music regularly online using services such as YouTube and Spotify.

At the same time less than a third of teenagers are now illegally downloading music, the survey suggests. In January this year 26% of 14 to 18 year olds admitted filesharing at least once a month compared with 42% in December 2007.

The research revealed that many teenagers (65%) are streaming music regularly, with more 14 to 18 year olds (31%) listening to streamed music on their computer every day compared with music fans overall (18%).

The picture may be more complex than a simple shift from filesharing to streaming, with people sharing music in new ways such as via bluetooth technology, on blogs, and through copying, also known as ripping content from friends' MP3 devices.

The new research – which involved 1,000 face-to-face interviews and a series of focus groups – also revealed that a fraction more music fans are regularly buying single track downloads (19%) than filesharing single tracks (17%).

Geoff Taylor, CEO of the BPI called the figures "absolutely encouraging". He said: "The industry has worked hard to licence new services, they are great music discovery tools and a new way for artists to get paid and drive new sales."

Francis Keeling, vice president of digital at Universal, welcomed the news but said streaming had to be combined with new services, such as the company's new deal with Virgin Media which will offer broadband users unlimited downloads for a monthly fee. "We are confident that the numerous legal alternatives to filesharing will result in a long term reduction in piracy," he said.

View: Original Article