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A poll conducted by Ipsos Mori says that people who download music illegally actually spend more money buying legal music than those who don't download music illegally.
The poll found that people who downloaded music illegally spend on average £77 on music purchases per year, while those who stayed clean only spent £44.
But the poll also found that if the UK government's proposed plans to ban repeat copyright infringers was adopted, then those surveyed would see it as a deterrent to illegal downloads. But this could then mean that the music industry could find themselves converting people who spend £77 a year into those who only spend £44 a year, all in the name of increasing profits (through decreasing piracy).
Mark Mulligan of Forrester Research believes that today's generation use illegal downloads as a discovery mechanism. At the very least, those who share music are music fans, and it is then not too surprising that they spend more on music than those who don't even bother to download illegal songs.
The music industry's insistence on a three-strikes system could then turn off these music fans, or at least limit their exposure to new songs and artists, which could have a hugely negative effect on profits. With so many competing sources of entertainment for young people these days, most offering much better value than music downloads, this might be one gamble that will ultimately backfire for the industry.
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The poll found that people who downloaded music illegally spend on average £77 on music purchases per year, while those who stayed clean only spent £44.
But the poll also found that if the UK government's proposed plans to ban repeat copyright infringers was adopted, then those surveyed would see it as a deterrent to illegal downloads. But this could then mean that the music industry could find themselves converting people who spend £77 a year into those who only spend £44 a year, all in the name of increasing profits (through decreasing piracy).
Mark Mulligan of Forrester Research believes that today's generation use illegal downloads as a discovery mechanism. At the very least, those who share music are music fans, and it is then not too surprising that they spend more on music than those who don't even bother to download illegal songs.
The music industry's insistence on a three-strikes system could then turn off these music fans, or at least limit their exposure to new songs and artists, which could have a hugely negative effect on profits. With so many competing sources of entertainment for young people these days, most offering much better value than music downloads, this might be one gamble that will ultimately backfire for the industry.
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