Illegal Music Downloads Up in UK, Down in US

A survey in the United Kingdom has shown a 7 percent increase in the number of people downloading music illegally online, while the legal music download market is slowing. In the United States, however, data from earlier this year has indicated otherwise.

According to the 2007 Digital Media Survey, which was published in the UK by Entertainment Media Research and law firm Olswang, unauthorized downloading of music is at its highest level - reversing the slight decline of last year.

Apparently, consumers are less concerned about the risks involved in file sharing than they were previously, as high-profile lawsuits and piracy busts disappear from their memory. Pricing has also played a part, as consumers think older music should be cheaper than newer tracks.

In 2006, 42% of legal downloaders cited prosecution as a reason behind buying legally; that number fell to 33% in 2007. Similarly, 45% noted price advantages for buying online, but that number fell to 31% of legal downloaders in 2007. 18% now say they will download unauthorized music more often, up from 8% in 2006.

The survey also states that only 58% of consumers have purchased a legal song online, only up from 50% the year before. That 15% growth rate is far slower than from 2005 to 2006, when 40% more consumers purchased a song legally.

The Digital Media Survey found that teenagers say they are more likely to download music illegally in the future, but the greatest rise came in the 18 to 34 year-old range.

But the gloomy outlook offered by the survey stands in stark contrast to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive in the United States on behalf of the Business Software Alliance. The BSA found that only 36% had downloaded copyrighted works, down from 43% in 2006 and 60% in 2004. The group cited the fear of getting a computer virus and getting into legal trouble as the top deterrents.

The BSA's study involved 1,196 youths aged 8 to 18, while the UK Digital Media Survey covered 1,700 13 to 60 year-olds.

Perhaps most interesting from the UK survey is its look into the fledgling market for mobile song downloads. Wireless carriers have been pushing to make over-the-air downloads available to consumers, but the market only increased from 11% in 2006 to 16% this year. Consumers find such offerings unappealing due to the limited nature of cell phones especially in the area of sound quality, and high pricing.