An online poll powered by Demos researchers has revealed that though a tenth of those asked admitted to illegal file downloading, a large percentage also bought music legally.
Questioning 1008 individuals in Britain, it was discovered that whilst one in ten admitted to using peer-to-peer filesharing, 80per cent of these individuals also spent an average £77 every year on MP3’s, CD’s and vinyl. Meanwhile those who claimed to buy all music legally only spent an average of £44. In addition 50per cent said they used YouTube to access music videos, whilst 22per cent said that they often used internet radio stations. Meanwhile only 4per cent used Napster, whilst 9per cent of the survey group used Spotify because it was convenient and easy to use. However, most of these users did not pay for the premium service.
Questioned over price, three quarters of the group said that they were willing to pay an average of 45p per MP3 track. It came as news that, whilst only 2per cent would pay over a £1 for a track, Amazon listed Cheryl Cole’s ‘Fight for this Love’ at 79p, whilst iTunes priced the MP3 at 99p.
Peter Bradwell, researcher at Demos explained “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.”
In addition, figures caused concern for proposals to ban continuous file sharers from the internet. A Department for Business, Innovation and Skills spokesman said “The scale of unlawful file-sharing poses a real threat to the long-term sustainability of our creative industries. While surveys asking people about unlawful behaviour should be treated with caution, it’s encouraging that the findings signal that the three-pronged approach set out by the Government this week – a mix of education, enforcement and attractive new commercial deals – provides the best way forward for industry and consumers.”
