Consumer Focus are putting out a piece of research this weekend that suggests that “most consumers do not know where they can buy music online” and arguing that this is a reason not to proceed with action against illegal downloading.
Amongst the many flaws in their press release, it’s a fallacy to imply that awareness of legal music services is low. The research by Consumer Focus itself claims that 60% of the general population are already aware of legal music services. But that number includes people who don’t even use the internet or have any interest in music. (According to ONS, 70% of UK households were connected to the internet in 2009; Only 42% of the population aged 12+ bought a music CD legally in 2008).
Aside from this, there are more than 35 legal online digital music services on the UK market, and literally hundreds more if you include artist websites that sell music digitally directly to consumers. There are three price comparison websites alone dealing with digital music. There is widespread media coverage, and marketing of, legal music services in the UK almost every single day.
BPI Chief Executive Geoff Taylor said: “It’s just not credible to suggest that people who are downloading illegally haven’t heard of iTunes, Amazon or other legal music services. Our much larger, more recent and targeted online survey shows that awareness of legal music services among internet users is almost universal. The measures in the Digital Economy Bill are precisely what is needed to encourage illegal downloaders to move across to those legal services”.
On behalf of the BPI Harris Interactive conducted a quantitative survey of internet users during November 2009, interviewing a total of 3,442 UK respondents aged 16-54 – substantively more than Consumer Focus’ survey group. This survey included 1,012 respondents who stated they were downloading or filesharing music on peer-to-peer networks or from other web sources – the people Consumer Focus says we should target to raise awareness.
Respondents were asked whether they had used or heard of the many sources of acquiring music legally:
- 96% had awareness of iTunes / Amazon / 7 Digital / HMV etc.
- 87% had awareness of subscriptions like Napster, eMusic etc
- 87% had awareness of music direct from artists sites.
- 86% had awareness of being able to obtain music via mobile handsets.
- On streaming services, 55% had awareness of Spotify, 52% had awareness of last.fm and 31% had awareness of We7.
Internet users and music fans are evidently well aware of legal music services. The challenge is in encouraging them away from the illegal services towards these services.
BPI acknowledges that there is always room for more awareness on the range and breadth of legal music services. BPI has been actively involved in initiatives to raise awareness of legal services, and we will be doing much more in the coming months and years.
For more information, contact -
Adam Liversage, BPI Director of Communications, adam.liversage@bpi.co.uk or 0207 803 1326