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July
2007
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| Date |
News |
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| 31st
July 2007 |
Illegal
music downloads hit record high
Illegal music downloads have
reached an all time high just
as the growth of online social
networking has shifted the epicentre
of the music industry away from
the major record labels, according
to a new study.
The 2007 Digital Media Survey,
carried out by Entertainment
Media Research in conjunction
with media lawyers Olswang,
revealed that the popularity
of social networking websites
such as MySpace and BeBo is
helping to "democratise"
the music industry as more young
people discover new music online
instead of via the radio or
music television.
Of the 1,700 13-60 year-olds
questioned, 86pc have used a
social networking site this
year, up from 74pc in 2006.
Four out of every ten social
network users have music embedded
in their personal profiles,
rising to 65pc among teenagers.
Russell Hart, chief executive
of Entertainment Media Research,
described this phenomenon as
"the democratisation of the
music industry.
"Social networks are fundamentally
changing the way we discover,
purchase and use music,"
he said.
"The dynamics of democratisation,
word of mouth recommendation
and instant purchase challenge
the established order and offer
huge opportunities to forward-thinking
businesses."
The survey has further bad news
for the music industry as it
found that 43pc of those questioned
are downloading tracks illegally,
up from 36pc last year.
At the same time, there has
been a dramatic slowdown in
the growth of authorised downloads,
with the number of legal downloaders
growing by just 15pc this year,
compared to 40pc in 2006. |
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