INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2005 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
The International Federation of Phonographic Industries (IFPI) has revealed that legal downloads of music have tripled in the first half of 2005.
In France, Germany and the UK track sales reached 180 million from January to June 2005, in comparison with 57 million tracks in the first half of 2004 and 157 million for the whole of last year. Single-track downloads are reported to have reached just over 10 million in the UK, up tenfold against the same period in 2004. According to the IFPI this demonstrates that more people are using legal channels to access music online, moving away from illegal file-sharing due to concerns about potential damage to home computers, or the worry of getting caught.
With an estimated 300 online music sites, including 190 European ones, and Apple's iTunes said to hold 1.5 million tracks, the legal online music trade is said to be flourishing. The IFPI emphasised that legal action against file sharers would continue, claiming that over 900 million illegally copied tracks are in circulation over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, a 3% rise in illegal downloads from last year.
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