Newsfactor.com reports that Jupiter found that 34% of all
peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing users said they now spend more
money on music than they did before they embraced P2P; 15% of users
said they now spend less. Around 50% said they spend the same
amount.
Against this, 19% of those not using P2P said they now spend
more money on music; 10% said they spend less, and 71% said they
spend the same amount.
Jupiter recommended that the music industry tries to make money
from file sharing, instead of trying to fight it. It also found
that broadband internet access has not greatly influenced consumer
music spending.
The global music market fell 5% in value and 6.5% in units
shifted in 2001, according to a report released last month by the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The
Federation blamed the internet and mass digital copying; P2P
services blamed the dip in the global economy.
The Recording Industry Association of America refuted Jupiter’s
findings. It said that Jupiter had failed to poll those aged under
18 – a key demographic in the music market. Its own findings, based
on a study in September and November 2001, found 23% of music fans
saying they “did not buy more music because they download or copy
most music for free.” Among “heavy music buyers” under age 30, 38%
said they “did not buy more music because they could download or
copy most music for free.”
