Fact Sheet - Statistics on internet piracy in the UK

SEE ALSO

Unauthorised file-sharing

Broadband penetration is 14% of all households. 27% of households with an internet connection have broadband. Jupiter Research forecast that broadband penetration will double by the end of 2006.
An estimated 7.4 million UK internet users have knowingly downloaded music illegally from unauthorised services on the internet (TNS 2004).
Of all music downloaders, 10% are aged 12-14 and 19% are aged 15-19 [at the time of the research, towards the end of 2003, there were almost no legal services - we can assume this is similar to the file-sharing population] (TNS 2004). By comparison 3% of music buyers are aged 12-14 and 13% are aged 15-19.

Awareness

68% of UK consumers know that unauthorised file-sharing is illegal.
More than 350,000 warning messages have been sent to UK file-sharers in 2004. (BPI 2004)

State of the local industry

Between 1999 and 2003 UK singles sales fell by 43.7 million units - an 54.6% drop
Singles spending has declined by 37.6% among 12-19 year olds, primarily due to the availability of free music files on the web
Roughly 13% of record company turnover is invested in A&R in the UK. Based on 2003 trade deliveries, this would amount to at least £150 million.

Legitimate Services

There are 29 major legitimate services available to UK consumers, plus dozens more artist and label sites.
The main legitimate online music services are: Amazon.com, Bignoisemusic.com, Bleep.com, Classical Music Library, Connect, Epitonic, Freeserve Music Club, GWR, HMV.co.uk, iTunes , Music Store, Karmadownload, Ministry of Sound, MSN Music Club, MTV Digital Downloads, Music Brigade.com, Mycokemusic.com, Napster UK, Naxos Music Library, NTL, Packard Bell, Peoplesound, Playlouder, Streets Online, Tiscali Music Club, Trax2burn, Virgin Megastore Digital, Downloads, Vitaminic Music Club, Wippit, Woolworths Download
More than 2 million legal permanent downloads have been sold to date in the UK, and weekly download sales are estimated to be around the 300,000 mark - compared to 15,000 at the beginning of 2004 (OCC).
Jupiter Research measured UK digital revenues at 4m Euros in 2003 - the highest European market and recorded a 22% level of willingness to pay for a digital music service, lower than France & Sweden, but higher than Germany, Italy & Spain.