File-sharers spend more on legal downloads

Downloaders who use unofficial, peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing sites then go on to spend more money buying music legally than those who only use official sites such as iTunes.

File-sharers spend £77 a year on average, with legal downloaders only spending £44, according to a study commissioned by Demos.

A total of 1,008 people took part in the online poll. Almost one in 10 of those questioned said they downloaded music illegally and males between 16 and 24 were the main culprits.

Just under half of those (46 per cent) who admitted to downloading illegally did so simply because 'they can'.

The cost implications of downloading legally was the fourth most popular reason for resorting to file-sharing.

Half of those asked said they used YouTube to access music, 22 per cent listened to internet radio and 9 per cent used Spotify.

The average price participants were willing to pay for tracks was 45p, with interest in downloading legally decreasing as the prices went up.

What was interesting from the study however was that one in eight people still choose to buy music on CD or vinyl.

Last week Lord Mandelson announced plans for a 'three-strike' policy to combat file-sharing in which repeat offenders would be disconnected from the internet.

In the Demos study, when asked how the government should handle illegal downloading, 47 per cent of file-sharers believed they should encourage and promote legal sites more. The majority of legal downloaders (37 per cent) agreed with Lord Mandelson.

Since the Pirate Bay peer-to-peer site was shut down, the number of file-sharing sites on the web has grown by 300 per cent.

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