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View Full Version : Illegal Downloaders are also Biggest Spenders: Research


Jeremy Charette
07-29-2005, 10:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/07/27/Arts/Downloaders_050727.html' target='_blank'>http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2005/07/27/Arts/Downloaders_050727.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"A British organization has discovered that illegal music downloaders spend much more on paid music downloads than strictly legal file-sharers do. The Leading Question, a digital music consumer research firm, says music pirates spent four-and-a-half times more for legal music downloads than average fans. "Music fans who break piracy laws are highly valuable customers," said Paul Brindley, head of the Leading Question, which conducted a survey of 600 music fans who also own computers and mobile phones."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/illegal.jpg" /> <br /><br />There's always the question of whether someone would admit to doing something illegal, even if they're answering anonymously...but my instinct tells me this survey bears quite a bit of truth. Many of today's consumers have a "try before you buy" mentality, which is part of what drives illegal music downloads. By prosecuting these illegal downloaders, i think the RIAA is shooting themselves in the foot and discouraging consumers from eventually purchasing legal copies of the music they've downloaded. But what else is new? :roll:

Mark Kenepp
07-29-2005, 10:37 PM
Many of today's consumers have a "try before you buy" mentality, which is part of what drives illegal music downloads. By prosecuting these illegal downloaders, i think the RIAA is shooting themselves in the foot and discouraging consumers from eventually purchasing legal copies of the music they've downloaded. But what else is new? :roll:

This is a valid viewpoint. If you attribute the greater sales of digital music to consumers ability to sample the product first which could possibly give the consumer more incentive to make a purchase (instead of making a purchase of a "sound unheard".

The RIAA may look at it that these consumers want their music and are willing to get it legally (pay) or illegally (free). Fewer illegal (free) avenues available mean more legal purchases.

Just a thought.

Crocuta
07-31-2005, 07:09 PM
There's always the question of whether someone would admit to doing something illegal, even if they're answering anonymously...but my instinct tells me this survey bears quite a bit of truth.

Good instincts. There have been a variety of studies exploring this from many different disciplines and they all end up with the same conclusion, that sharing of IP stimulates sales. This was true for books and libraries (many readers here may be unaware that a similar battle ensued between publishers and proponents of libraries many decades ago), and video rentals (again there was a huge battle over this with studios certain that one one would buy a video if they could rent it), and it's also been shown to be true for music. What makes this research interesting is it's the first (I'm aware of) that isn't looking at the market as a whole, but at who specifically makes up the market. I don't find it a bit surprising that the biggest pirates are also the biggest customers, but I'm glad there's some research out there now to establish that.