New findings from TEMPO, the company's quarterly study of digital music behaviors, reveal that in late June of 2003, as the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) announced their intention to begin prosecuting individual file-sharers, 16% of American downloaders, aged 12 and older, had paid a fee to download music or MP3 files off of the Internet. This translates into roughly 10 million people within the current U.S. population (according to 2000 U.S. Census figures).
"A twofold increase in the number of American downloaders exposed to for-pay music downloads in just a six month timeframe (compared 8% in December 2002 and 13% in April 2003) signals a remarkable shift in downloader behavior," said Matt Kleinschmit, Director for Ipsos-Insight, and author of the TEMPO research.
Demographically:
"Downloaders of all ages are clearly beginning to experiment with fee-based online music distribution in increasing numbers," said Kleinschmit. "The rise in Portable MP3 Player ownership among U.S. downloaders, coupled with the growth in paid downloading, suggests that digital music enthusiasts may be shifting their overall music acquisition from a physical to a digital approach," added Kleinschmit. "This should be positive sign for associated industries."
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