iPods only half-full

UK music lovers are struggling to fill their iPods and MP3 players, with the average person only managing to use 58 per cent of their available storage space.

This means that the average MP3 player has four and a half gigabytes of unused space - or room for a further 1,308 tracks or around 110 albums - enough to fit the entire musical output of Madonna, the Rolling Stones and Elvis combined.

New independent research figures by ICM and commissioned by Napster, shows that ‘Portability’ and ‘Ease of Use’ cited as the two best things about digital music.

According to the survey, 16 per cent of UK adults own a portable digital music player with 60 per cent having purchased theirs in the last year

In all, 66 per cent of MP3 player music is ripped from CDs, 10 per cent is copied from friends, 17 per cent of music is downloaded from the internet legally, with 6 per cent downloaded illegally.