iPods half full of illegal tracks
Research conducted by the University of Hertfordshire has uncovered that 48% of the music stored on the average digital music player has been downloaded illegally. The figure rises to almost 80% amongst teenagers. The extent of illegal downloading by one of the largest survey of youth music ownership has shocked the industry, which is struggling to cope with declining CD sales.
Former Undertones front man Fergal Sharkey and now Chief Executive of British Music Rights said "I was one of those people who went around the back of the bike shed with songs I had taped off the radio the night before. But this totally dwarfs that, and anything we expected." His comments certainly seem to reflect a growing trend, as CD sales declined by 10% in 2007.
The study also shows:
63% of people illegally download
Just 15% of respondents are persuaded not to upload because of the risk of getting caught
95% engage in some form of copying
Have you ever downloaded a track to your ipod illegally and if so how much of your music collection does it account for?
Seven pounds may be fine for an album but not for a single track.
The only good thing that has happenned is that seeing bands live is on the up!
The solution is staring the dinosaurs of the music boardrooms in the face - give good value for money and copying activities will be drastically reduced. It's in their hands; they can make the appropriate executive decisions. Otherwise...