Illegal music downloads increasing

It has been reported that illegal music downloads amongst broadband users are on the increase, with figures being released following research that was carried out by the British record industry’s trade association.

Research has recently been carried out by the British Recorded Music Industry (BPI) into the level of illegal music downloads amongst broadband users in the UK. According to figures the level of illegal music downloads has been increasing.

Research that was commissioned by the British record industry’s trade association showed that over seven and a half million people have downloaded music illegally over the course of this year. Over a billion tracks are said to have been pirated or shared, and the cost to the industry is said to have been two hundred and nineteen million pounds.

Geoff Taylor, of the British Recorded Music Industry, described illegal downloading as a ‘parasite’, adding that new legislation was needed as a matter of urgency. He said: “It is a parasite that threatens to deprive a generation of talented young people of their chance to make a career in music, and is holding back investment in the burgeoning digital entertainment sector.”

One music distribution analyst, Mark Mulligan, said: “The music industry has been fighting hard against piracy for over a decade, but they haven’t managed to stem the flow. The reason for that is because technology moves much more quickly than counter measures.” He added that this generation seemed to have no idea about “saving their pocket money to buy a record, which is why file sharing is never going to go away”.

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Source – BBC