Research into the music consumption of 14-24-year-olds found that, on average, 50% of the content on their MP3 players was downloaded illegally. The survey, commissioned by the British Music Rights (BMR) organisation, was carried out by the University of Hertfordshire between February and March 2008 and is the largest study into young people's music ownership ever carried out.
The study also revealed that 58% have copied music from a friend's hard drive to their own, whereas 95% copied music in some way. Uploading music for others to share was seen as "altruistic", but there was also good news for the music industry. Apparently, 80% of current P2P users would be interested in a legal filesharing service - and they would pay for it too.
Feargal Sharkey, BMR's chief executive and ex-frontman of punk band the Undertones, responded warmly to the results, saying: "The music industry should draw great optimism from this groundbreaking survey." He added: "First and foremost, it is quite clear that this young and tech-savvy demographic is as crazy about and engaged with music as any previous generation. Contrary to popular belief, they are also prepared to pay for it too. But only if offered the services they want. That message comes through loud and clear."
The BMR is attempting to drum up support for the music industry by persuading internet service providers to offer a subscription service, offering unlimited downloads for a monthly fee. The report follows the arrest of six people last month for illegally downloading music files. They became the first individuals ever to be charged with such an offence in the UK.
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