Report: Illegal Music Downloading Climbs

AP reports:

The number of U.S. households illegally downloading music from P2P networks is increasing, not decreasing, as the RIAA would have us believe (see “BitTorrent users chuckling over Pew peer-to-peer report“). According to new research from the NPD Group, the number of households availing themselves of peer-to-peer traded MP3 files rose 6 percent in October and 7 percent in November after a six-month decline.

So is the RIAA’s campaign against file-sharing perhaps less effective than the lobbying group claims? Nonsense. RIAA spokesman Jonathan Lamy says the group’s efforts are on right track, regardless of what the NPD study shows. “For us, the ultimate measurement of success has been, and continues to be, creating an environment where legal online music services can flourish,” Lamy said in a statement. “All indicators point in the right direction — sales of CDs, legal downloads and awareness that file sharing copyrighted music is illegal — have all increased.”

Note that Lamy avoids the question: “Is file sharing decreasing?” Legal downloads are increasing because there is now legal downloading services. Previously, people who wanted digital music had no other option but the P2P sites. Apple iTunes Music Store opened the flood gates.

As to sales of CDs increasing, that’s as much a function of the improving economy as it is long awaited price competition.

via: Good Morning Silicon Valley

Sources:
Report: Illegal Music Downloading Climbs
ALEX VEIGA
Associated Press, Thu, Jan. 15, 2004
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/7720607.htm

RIAA: The facts aside, we’re winning
John Paczkowski
GMSV, Fri, Jan. 16, 2004
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/business/columnists/gmsv/

Music Sales Rise on Aggressive Discounting, Price Competition and an Improving Economy
Me
December 21, 2003
http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2003/12/music_sales_ris.html

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What's been said:

Discussions found on the web:
  1. muckdog commented on Jan 17

    The legal downloading sites are great. I’m sure some folks will always try and bag free tunes, but it’s so easy now to get what you want for under a buck…

  2. bobby commented on Jan 4

    well i think that illeagal downloading music is a great piece of work. I also would like to

  3. John Doe commented on Feb 2

    Who can I cantact to report someone who downloads illegal music, movies, and video games, and even sells them. He downloads thousands of them. How can I report them?

  4. raab commented on Jul 13

    Boby ur a fag dont tell on sum1

  5. jane morrison commented on Jul 27

    you need to download a copy of MiRc and watch the amount of people illegally sharing music then copying them and sending to people around the world ..its unbelievable one man in there has 98,000 songs hes sharing around the world ..i thought id report it as i assumed mirc was a chat room but i was very wrong thousands daily there are sending and sharing music movies and all other files there ..hope you can catch these culprits

  6. steve commented on Jun 18

    Seriously guys, artists make so much money from shows that, the loss of record business doesn’t hurt them that much. If you don’t believe me watch a couple episodes of cribs on MTV. And movie stars are the same way. Don’t tell me you feel bad for the record label executives, they are the reason people steal music in the first place. Their desire for money has kept record prices unreasonable throughout the years. Protest by demonstrating your discontent for record prices. download!

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