The Music Industry's Best Customers Are Illegal Downloaders

According a recent British survey, no one spends more money on music than illegal downloaders. In fact, those who admit to stealing music online spend, on average, more than twice as much as people who say they've never downloaded file-sharing software in their life. The news has some music industry officials concerned about Great Britain's new plan to combat illegal downloading, which would cut off users' Internet access for a month if they're caught downloading illegally more than three times. The Independent says there are now fears that such a scheme "could harm the music industry by punishing its core customers." Proponents of the plan say it will be effective: In the same survey, 61 percent of music-lovers said they would be deterred from downloading illegally if it meant they would lose their Internet connection. But others argue that even if the proposed law succeeds in keeping people from sharing music with one another, it still might not mean increased sales for the struggling industry. "The people who file-share are the ones who are interested in music," one expert said. "They use file-sharing as a discovery mechanism. We have a generation of young people who don't have any concept of music as a paid-for commodity."

Read original story in The Independent | Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009

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