Posted February 18, 200916 yr Not sure if this has been posted :unsure: Despite initiatives by ISPs to stop illegal file sharing, 95 percent of online music downloads are completed illegally, says the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). According to the industry body, global music downloads rose by 25 percent in 2008 and were worth around $3.7bn (£2.5bn). Digital music downloads now account for 20 percent of all music sales. However, only 1.4 billion tracks were legally downloaded, compared to the 40 billion digital audio files that it estimates were shared illegally last year. Visit Digital World for the latest home entertainment news and reviews Visit Broadband Advisor for the latest internet news, reviews, tips & tricks - and to take advantage of PC Advisor's unique, independent Broadband Speed Tester In the UK alone, 110 million single tracks and 10.3 million digital albums were purchased in 2008. "Governments are beginning to accept that, in the debate over 'free content' and engaging ISPs in protecting intellectual property rights, doing nothing is not an option if there is to be a future for commercial digital content," said John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI. In July, six of the UK's largest ISPs, including BT, the Carphone Warehouse and Virgin Media, signed an agreement with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) that they would issue warning letters to customers suspected of illegally downloading digital files. The agreement is the first step toward implementing a 'three strikes rule' that would result in illegal file sharers having their broadband connection suspended and possibly even terminated if they continue to offend after being issued with a warning letter. Source: http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=109586 This really doesn't surprise me at all.
February 18, 200916 yr I'm not surprised about this, but still 1.4 billion legal downloads is not bad. xD
February 18, 200916 yr Author not that shocking. Most people I know download illegally Same. I don't think its much of a problem really, especially when not much can be done about it in all honesty.
February 18, 200916 yr Another important thing to remember is just because someone downloads something illegally, it doesnt mean they would have downloaded it legally if there werent opportunities to do it illegally. I mean, i will be honest, i have downloaded albums before (the wrong way) just to have a listen, i would never actually buy them.
February 18, 200916 yr This is old news. I have read somewhere that the three strikes will definitely not happen and has been abandoned.
February 18, 200916 yr China is a big contributor to this. I think 99% of music there is illegally downloaded.
February 18, 200916 yr Another important thing to remember is just because someone downloads something illegally, it doesnt mean they would have downloaded it legally if there werent opportunities to do it illegally. Exactly. The music industry has been coming up with the same argument for decades - 'If only we could stop illegal copying, our business would explode overnight'
February 18, 200916 yr Imagine what sales would actually be like if everyone where to download legally...
February 18, 200916 yr Music industries keep on forgetting that illegal downloads are actually not really new. OK they were not called downloads but recording on cassettes/tapes. I used to record lot of music from the radio :heehee: At that time no one was bothered that this kind of illegal recording exists.
February 18, 200916 yr Imagine what sales would actually be like if everyone where to download legally... People will always find ways to get fresh music without paying for it! Music industries should not concentrate to stop illegal downloading at first place! They should do legal downloading more attractive which is not the case right now! I do think that forums and boards like Buzzjack or Haven make legal music downloading more attractive (by posting itunes charts, talking/arguing about it etc.). Has one of these so called music experts ever thought about that???
February 18, 200916 yr I think as long as music is so expensive people will continue to download illegally! I have to admit, every album I have, before I bought it I downloaded it for free, just to have a listen to see if I liked it. If I liked it, deleted it and went and bought it, if not, I just deleted it. I think downloading music illegally should be legal if you only keep it for about 2 days, then you can decide if you like it enough to buy it. A few years ago, I used to buy CDs all the time, but now with the credit crunch, it's hard to enough to earn money for basic human rights. I can understand why some people do illegally download until they have enough money to actually buy the CD. A single song on iTunes is 79p, and if every song you buy is 79p you can be going through hundreds of pounds a month, so until iTunes, Napster etc. lower the prices, illegal downloading will carry on, even if they track your ISP, there are always loopholes.
February 18, 200916 yr And, in other news: -> Pope found to be Catholic. -> Bears found to sh!t in woods. -> Snow found to be cold. Edited February 18, 200916 yr by DitzyNizzy
February 18, 200916 yr At that time no one was bothered that this kind of illegal recording exists. I must have imagined all those "home taping is killing music" logos that appeared in the 70s and 80s then....
February 18, 200916 yr If I was the owner of a record company, I'd make all single track downloads free, and reduce the price for albums.
February 18, 200916 yr Author I think as long as music is so expensive people will continue to download illegally! I have to admit, every album I have, before I bought it I downloaded it for free, just to have a listen to see if I liked it. If I liked it, deleted it and went and bought it, if not, I just deleted it. I think downloading music illegally should be legal if you only keep it for about 2 days, then you can decide if you like it enough to buy it. A few years ago, I used to buy CDs all the time, but now with the credit crunch, it's hard to enough to earn money for basic human rights. I can understand why some people do illegally download until they have enough money to actually buy the CD. A single song on iTunes is 79p, and if every song you buy is 79p you can be going through hundreds of pounds a month, so until iTunes, Napster etc. lower the prices, illegal downloading will carry on, even if they track your ISP, there are always loopholes. Does anyone know what prices of albums and singles were like 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago? If you take inflation into account i'm sure that prices of music have decreased? And, in other news: -> Pope found to be Catholic. -> Bears found to sh!t in woods. -> Snow found to be cold. :rofl:
February 18, 200916 yr How exactly is music expensive? I don't download albums as I see it as a waste of money, I prefer to pay the extra couple of quid and get a tangible physical product that I can hold and keep forever. However, I do download singles as it's very easy and very cheap (59p on Amazon and sometimes just 50p on 7Digital for HQ tracks). There's really no excuse for illegally downloading, unless of course it hasn't been made available for legal download anywhere yet.
February 18, 200916 yr Author How exactly is music expensive? I don't download albums as I see it as a waste of money, I prefer to pay the extra couple of quid and get a tangible physical product that I can hold and keep forever. However, I do download singles as it's very easy and very cheap (59p on Amazon and sometimes just 50p on 7Digital for HQ tracks). There's really no excuse for illegally downloading, unless of course it hasn't been made available for legal download anywhere yet. Whether music is expensive is someone's opinion, though it is a fact whether prices of music have gone up or down over the generations.
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