People who download music illegally also spend an average of GBP 77 a year buying it legitimately, a survey has found. Those who claimed not to use peer-to-peer filesharing sites such as The Pirate Bay spent a yearly average of just GBP 44. Almost one in 10 of those questioned aged between 16 and 50 said they downloaded music illegally. However, eight out of 10 of that group also bought CDs, vinyl and as MP3s. A total of 1008 people in the UK took part in the online poll commissioned by researchers Demos. Half the group (50 percent) accessed music officially via YouTube, and 22 percent listened to internet radio. Napster, once a pioneer of music filesharing, was used by just 4 percent, with 21 percent saying they had not heard of it. Music streaming service Spotify was used by 9 percent of the group, most of whom had not signed up for the paid-for premium service. However, it was rated highly for being easy to use, convenient and providing access to a wide variety of music. 75 percent of 16-24 year olds said they were prepared to pay for MP3s. The optimum price for the survey group as a whole was GBP 0.45 for an individual track, with just 2 percent saying they would pay more than GBP 1. “Politicians and music companies need to recognise that the nature of music consumption has changed and consumers are demanding lower prices and easier access to music,” said Demos researcher Peter Bradwell. It also raises questions about the draft Digital Economy bill, which is due to be submitted to parliament later this month and proposes disconnecting file-sharers who repeatedly break the law.
Illegal file sharers are really big spenders – is it wise for HM Govt to go after them?
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