IFPI: 95% of Downloaded Music is Illegal

[The_root_of_all_evil]

IFPI: 95% of Downloaded Music is Illegal

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, 95% of all music downloaded is illegal.

The IFPI [http://www.ifpi.org/], which represents 1,400 companies in 72 countries, estimated more than 40 billion music files were illegally shared in 2008. The organization is making the fight against such piracy a top priority, given the financial impact it has on artists and record companies. Worldwide music revenues shrank by 7% last year, according to the IFPI, and the increase in digital sales didn't account for the falling CD sales.

1.4 billion tracks were downloaded legally last year, with Lil Wayne's "Lollipop" taking the number one trophy with 9.1 million downloads.

The digital music business now rakes in an estimated $3.7 billion.

"There is a momentous debate going on about the environment on which our business, and all the people working in it, depends," said John Kennedy, chairman and chief executive of IFPI. "Governments are beginning to accept that, in the debate over 'free content' and engaging ISPs in protecting intellectual property rights, doing nothing is not an option if there is to be a future for commercial digital content."


Source: BBC [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7832396.stm]

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[Galletea]

I'm not sure how they are going to do anything about it. It's not like it's a new phenomenon, any one could have told them that most downloads are illegal. Policing it could well prove tricky.

 

[blackcherry]

Well, whilst I don't think its quite this high myself, I would agree that pirated music is a problem. Not to go into to much detail here (probably been debated far too many times and will just turn into a rant fest) but the music industry bought it upon themselves when they refused to move with the times.

Its only now, after its far too late, that they have realised quite what they are dealing with.

 

[Zeromaxx]

I'll wait until a plan is made before I poke holes in it and say they can never do it...oh wait...

 

[USSR]

I find the fact that people get arrested for this, appalling. That is like 72 people committing murder and only 5 sent to jail.

 

[MercenaryCanary]

It seems that they are fighting a losing battle...
Perhaps we should feed the fire even more so?

 

[nathan-dts]

Well, whilst I don't think its quite this high myself

Yep, 95% is one huge overstatement. No music is good anymore anyway, therefore these 'artists' deserve no money.

 

[keitarobg]

screw that,man! Sure,a lot of the music downloaded is illegal,but when one digs deeper into Apple's policy for "legal music download",one finds out,that Apple is getting the most from their "99 cents per song" and the artists are getting a dry thumb up their a**. Furthermore, I don't see Britney Spears or 50 cent dying from hunger,are they? They continue to produce the same,very bad,imo,songs. On the other hand young and talented musicians,with fresh ideas are simply fading away from the scene. But that's not my point. My point is - yes,piracy is bad for the music business,but considering that most of the downloaded songs were from Britney,50 cent,Rihanna(I have no idea how to spell that,neither do I care!) and so on. It's not a big loss,if they one day bankrupt

No music is good anymore anyway, therefore these 'artists' deserve no money.

my point in two words

Love and peace

 

[Fangface74]

95%?

lower than I thought it'd be!

 

[blackcherry]

Ok, I'm sorry if I started some discontent in this thread that will downward spiral(yes its ego centric and for some reason I will contribute to it).

Myself, I think that people listen to so much of what they want to theses days, rather than chart based bands that in the end it won't matter. People will put out albums, but great bands won't. People will just hear of them if they are that good and go to concerts. Hell some of the best bands of the last ten years I haven't once gotten a record from. Its just been live.

 

[Zac_Dai]

7% oh noes! Record companies should go cry more or change their business model.

 

[scarbunny]

I'm sorry if I fail to see the point here? I download music illegaly, and if its good I buy a physical copy of it, true most of the time I'll go direct to the artist and cut out the record companies so they wont see any benifit from my habbits but all they do is rip off the talent so fuck 'em.

Sure my download is illegal but as a reasult of it I put more money into artists pockets than I would downloading them legaly.

 

[Erana]

Be kind to the consumer, and your piracy rate will drop.
Valve proved that with Russia.

 

[mattttherman3]

Well too bad so sad, artists still make a killing from ticket sales at concerts.

 

[mokes310]

Me thinks that they'll have a hard time doing anything about it.

 

[dcheppy]

I have no issue with the concept of the starving artist. Music quality will not drop if the money dries up. All the best music takes to create is 4 people, 4 instruments, and about 12 hours in a recording studio. People all the time, do this without making a dime and the good artists will make real money off of touring.

It's not like movies or games, where bigger budgets are necessary for highly polished films. Compare an amateur film(something on youtube) to a Hollywood film(A James Bond Movie) and you see how important money is for movies. Or Comapre an Amateur game(something browser based) to something like Fallout 3 and again you can see how important money is.

Amateur rock music is indistinguishable from studio produced rock.
We might lose some heavily produced Pop stuff like Brittney Spears.

 

[stormcaller]

Phonographic whew that was too close to being very weird..

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

I agree with most people when they say that nowadays musician are trash compared to the past. All the bands I listened to disbanded in the 90's so I'm not really worried about them not making enough money to produce a new album.

This, I think, calls for the genocide of everyone under 25.

Um.. can we put a hold on that for 5 years?