James Delahunty
16 Dec 2010 23:00
The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) trade group has once against highlighted the level of Internet music piracy in the UK in its annual report.
The group, which represents major and independent record companies in the UK, estimated that Internet users will illegally download 1.2 billion songs this year, and describes the estimate as "conservative." The number is compared to the 370 million tracks (including individual tracks in album downloads) that will be bought legally in the UK during the same time.
"Illegal downloading continues to rise in the UK," said Geoff Taylor, BPI chief executive. "It is a parasite that threatens to deprive a generation of talented young people of their chance to make a career in music, and is holding back investment in the fledgling digital entertainment sector."
UK digital single sales could reach 160 million in 2010, up from 150 million last year. Album sales are expected to rise from 16.1 million to 21 million this year.
Figures from the BPI show that in the 12 months to the end of September 2010, digital services accounted for more than 24.5 percent of the UK record industry revenue, up from 19.2 percent in the previous 12 months. The rising sales are still not offsetting the drop in sales of music CDs however.