(Source: Reuters) – Europe’s Internet downloaders are avid
music fans who own multiple gadgets and are as likely to buy a
compact disc as anyone else, according to new research released
on Wednesday. The image belies the notion of the slacker teenager
trawling the Internet for free music to hoard. They are regular
shoppers in record stores today, and they are very likely to
buy song downloads in the future, the researchers said.
“There are strong music fans within the file-sharing
community,” Mark Mulligan, an analyst at Jupiter Research in
London, told Reuters.
“They are more likely to listen to digital radio and visit
artist Web sites. There is compelling evidence that this group
is the bedrock community for those willing to pay for
legitimate (online) music services in the future,” Mulligan
added.
The music industry has waged an all-out war on Internet
file sharing and CD burning, which it blames for a three-year
decline in sales of recorded music.
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA), which represents the world’s big five music
companies, Universal Music, Warner Music, EMI, BMG, and Sony
Music, has begun suing individual music-swappers.
In Europe, industry trade bodies and the major music labels
have tried a gentler tactic, promoting industry-backed services
and educating consumers that downloading copyright-protected
media is an illegal activity.
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