The study, commissioned by the RIAA and carried out by Hart
Research, also found that pirate optical disc seizures increased by
69.9%.
Based on a May 2002 survey of 860 internet-connected music
consumers aged 12 to 54, the study claims that, by a more than a
two-to-one margin, consumers who say they are now downloading more
also say they purchase less.
Also, 63% of the sample said that they have acquired at least
one burned CD in the past year, and 35% of young consumers said the
first thing they do after hearing a song they like by an unfamiliar
artist is download the song for free from a file sharing service.
The number of burned CDs acquired by internet users has doubled
from a year ago.
The RIAA yesterday said in a statement: “Among people who said
their downloading from file-sharing services had increased over the
past six months, 41% reported purchasing less music now than six
months ago.”
In the same statement the RIAA claimed that its anti-piracy
efforts “remain a success on many fronts”, and that its anti-piracy
units increased the number of search warrants executed by over 96%
in the first half of 2002.
Geoff Garin, chief executive director of Hart Research told news
agency Reuters: “I would not argue that downloading and copying are
the only factors at work. But we have clear evidence that [they] do
not have a favourable effect on record sales.”
The study contrasts with a recent survey by Forrester Research,
which found that on-line piracy was not to blame for the decline in
music sales. Factors such as a lack of current popular artists and
the general state of the economy have also been blamed.
