Governments can turn the tide against piracy in 2011
News: 24th January 2011 by Louise Dodgson under Finance, Law & Music Business, Selling & Distributing Your Music
• First actions by ISPs to stop mass illegal file-sharing announced in France, Ireland and South Korea in 2010
• Progress expected in UK, New Zealand, the EU and Malaysia in 2011
• Digital revenues up six per cent to US$4.6 billion in 2010, with 400+ licensed services
• Piracy is hitting jobs and investment, according to IFPI Digital Music Report
London, 20th January 2011 – Action to stop digital music piracy is gaining momentum worldwide, with implementation by ISPs of warnings and deterrent sanctions taking effect in three countries in 2010 and governments in other countries expected to implement measures in 2011.
ISP cooperation measures are now in place aimed at substantially reducing illegal file-sharing in France, South Korea and Ireland. Governments in several other countries, including the UK, New Zealand and Malaysia, are expected to implement new laws in 2011 and the European Union is reviewing its intellectual property enforcement legislation.
A comprehensive overview of the global digital music sector is provided in IFPI’s Digital Music Report 2011, published today. The report shows that consumer choice for accessing music via digital channels continued to grow in 2010. New easy-to-use subscription models, such as Spotify, Deezer and Vodafone, expanded to complement the hundreds of download services already available to fans. Record companies have also partnered with ISPs and mobile operators to offer music services in Ireland, Taiwan, Italy, South Korea, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Digital music revenues grew by an estimated six per cent globally in 2010 to US$4.6 billion, accounting for 29 per cent of record companies’ trade revenues in 2010.
Industry action is helping develop this legitimate business. Limewire, the biggest source of infringing downloads in the US, has been declared illegal and Mininova, a major BitTorrent site, shut down its illegal activities. The Pirate Bay was blocked by a court in Italy and its operators’ criminal convictions were upheld by the Court of Appeal in Sweden.
Despite these developments, however, digital piracy continues to massively erode industry revenues, hitting jobs, investment in new music and consumer choice. The report comprehensively reviews the scale and impact of the problem. Notably:
• Fewer new artists are breaking through globally. Total sales by debut artists in the global top 50 album chart in 2010 were
just one quarter of the level they achieved in 2003
• Traditionally vibrant music local industries, such as Spain and Mexico, are especially hard hit. In Spain, where music sales
fell by an estimated 22 per cent in 2010, no new home-grown artist featured in the country’s top 50 album chart, compared
with 10 in 2003
• Jobs are at risk across the creative industries. Independent research in 2010 from Tera Consultants, backed by trade unions,
found that 1.2 million jobs could be lost across the creative industries in Europe alone by 2015 if no action is taken to tackle
piracy.
Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, says: “Many governments are now recognising the need for proportionate and effective steps to curb piracy. In the last year, France and South Korea implemented systems of warnings and deterrent sanctions that will for the first time engage ISPs in reducing peer-to-peer infringement on their networks.
“Similar moves are underway in the UK, New Zealand and Malaysia. The European Union is reviewing its enforcement legislation. The momentum for a solution is building, and that is grounds for optimism.
“As we enter 2011, digital piracy, and the lack of adequate legal tools to fight it, remains the biggest threat to the future of creative industries. Great new legitimate music offerings exist all over the world, offering consumers a wide range of ways to access music. Yet they operate in a market that is rigged by piracy, and they will not survive if action is not taken to address this fundamental problem. This is the challenge and the opportunity for governments to seize in 2011.”
Download the full report via the link below, and browse a few write-ups in response to the report...
Related Links
http://www.ifpi.org/content/library/DMR2011.pdf
http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-digital-musics-slowdown-draws-out-familiar-industry-worries/
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2011/01/ifpi.html
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/01/digital-music-sky-not-falling/
Tags
ifpi, international federation for the phonographic industry, ifpi digital music report, illegal downloads, music piracy, recording industry, record companies
