UK Study: Downloaders Buy More Music

July 27, 2005 11:39am by

A belated Tuneful Tuesday post. A recent UK study confirms what we’ve known all along:

"Computer-literate music fans who
illegally share tracks over the internet also spend four and a half times as
much on digital music as those who do not, according to research published
today.

The survey confirms what many music fans have informally insisted for some
time: that downloading tracks illegally has also led them to become more
enthusiastic buyers of singles and albums online.

Unlikely to be music to the ears of record companies, who have previously
argued the opposite, the results will raise a question mark over the companies’
recent drive to pursue individual file sharers through the courts."

According to the study, music fans who regularly share and download music illegally — active P2P users — typically
spend over 400% more on legal music downloads
than other music fans.

Speaking from personal experience, I have never discovered or purchased more music than I did during the heyday of Napster.

Paul Brindley, one of the authors of the study, noted "There’s a myth that all illegal downloaders are mercenaries hell-bent on breaking the law in pursuit of free music. In reality, they are often hardcore fans who are extremely enthusiastic about adopting paid-for services as long as they are suitably compelling."

>

Sources:
The Leading Question
http://www.theleadingquestion.com/

Music pirates spend four-and-a-half times more on legitimate music downloads than average fans
http://www.musically.com/theleadingquestion/files/theleadingquestion_piracy.doc

Radio is still the number one source for finding out about new music
http://www.musically.com/theleadingquestion/files/theleadingquestion_radio.doc

Downloading ‘myths’ challenged
BBC
NEWS,Published:
2005/07/27 08:10:56 GMT
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4718249.stm

Online file sharers ‘buy more music’
Owen Gibson, media correspondent
The Guardian , Wednesday July 27, 2005
http://media.guardian.co.uk/city/story/0,7497,1536889,00.html

File sharers ‘spend more on music downloads’
By Tony Smith (tony.smith at theregister.co.uk)
Published Wednesday 27th July 2005
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/27/p2p_users_legal_downloads

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  1. BusinessPundit commented on Jul 27

    Downloaders Buy More Music

    I wonder what the RIAA will say about this.According to the study, music fans who regularly share and download music illegally — active P2P users — typically spend over 400% more on legal music downloads than other music fans….

  2. Greek Complexity commented on Aug 5

    The impact of free pricing models on revenue growth

    Link: Jonathan Schwartz’s Weblog An interesting take on software pricing by Jonathan Schwartz (President and COO of Sun Microsystems) to answer the question: Does giving away software for free mean that revenues will fall? Am I worried that changing the

  3. Greek Complexity commented on Aug 12

    The impact of free pricing models on revenue growth

    Link: Jonathan Schwartz’s Weblog An interesting take on software pricing by Jonathan Schwartz (President and COO of Sun Microsystems) to answer the question: Does giving away software for free mean that revenues will fall? Am I worried that changing the

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