|
In order to view this object you need Flash Player 9+ support! 
|
Illegal Downloads: UK Leading the Way
The news may be full of stories of declines and cuts however rest assured that there is one sector that that grown considerably in 2010. Illegal music downloads have hit an all time high with over one billion tracks obtained through illegal sources. New figures have shown that around seven million UK internet users are downloading tracks on a regular basis and are yet to face any of the action that the government has warned about. Even after the introduction of the Digital Economy Act, a controversial move that was designed to stop online piracy, there has yet to be any real progress in restricting access to illegal download sites. Whether you see illegal downloads as a harmless way to add to your music collection or as a plague that is ruining the music industry, there is no denying that the war on music piracy is set to continue.
There have been plenty of ideas thrown around as to how to deal with these pesky music thieves, many have called for a suspension on repeat offenders internet connections whereas others have called for the UK to follow the USA’s lead with hefty fines. Internet providers have also been called upon to do their bit in preventing access to illegal file sharing sites by blocking access to any sites that offer this service. Even search engines cannot hide from the download police with many proposing that sites such as Google rank legal sites above illegal sources in their search index. Spotify has solidified itself as one of the stand out success stories by offering legal access to online music and is currently in negotiations with Virgin to create a subscription based download service. However will lower pricing and better offers be able to attract users away from the key ‘free’ aspect of illegal downloads?
There are over sixty legal online services available to UK internet users however it seems that the lure of free, fast downloads is still proving to be a deciding factor. If there is no pressure on illegal downloader’s to change their patterns it seems that the ratio of illegal/legal downloads will only rise throughout 2011.
Check out the BPI site for all of the guidelines on digital music.