July 31, 2007 10:41

Illegal downloading on the rise

A large percentage of internet users admit to downloading free

A new study has found that 43 per cent of internet users have admitted to downloading music for free – a rise of seven percent over the past year.

Approximately 1,700 internet users were polled by the Entertainment Media Research company to gain the results.

The study found that although illegal downloading is on the rise, so is legal downloading. Eleven percent of people questioned said they downloaded music legally from sites such as iTunes, up two percent from last year.

The study highlights a further shift towards digital music replacing physical formats such as CDs, as well as an increase in illegal downloads.

“The trend towards piracy appears to be in real danger of accelerating,” media law expert John Enser told the Evening Standard. “The music industry must look for more ways to encourage the public to download music legally.”