Overview

After the RIAA announced in June 2003 that it would issue lawsuits to music downloaders, the Pew Internet Project registered a sharp decline in the percentage of respondents who said that they download music files. Passive data collected over the same period by comScore Media Metrix registered a decline in usage of peer-to-peer applications. This data memo updates those findings, showing an increase in the percentage of respondents who say that they download music files, from 18 million in December 2003 to 23 million in February 2004. 14% of the 128 million American adults now online report that they downloaded music at one time, but no longer do so. About a third of these former music downloaders - 6 million adults - say that the RIAA’s tactics are the reason they stopped downloading music. The report concludes with findings on paid online music services, changes in downloaders’ attitudes toward copyright and an overview of several research methodologies that have been used to track online music downloading.