IFPI Digital Music Report 08

The IFPI Digital Music Report 08 calls on the European Union to consider the French approach to ISP responsibilty for copyright infringers and action.

But what the report show more than anytihng is the phenomenal growth in digital content and how the music industry is leading the pack.

Some eye-watering stats include that in 2003 there were approximately 50 legal music services and now there are more than 500 (consolidation will be next then…).  In the same period the value of digital music sales has gone from around US$20m to US$2.9bn.

In comparison with other industries PWC figures show that the music industry is deriving more of its revenue from digital:

Books 2%

Films 3%

Newspapers 7%

Recorded music 15%

For those immersed in the machinations of the legal and illegal consumption of digital music the report probably reports little unfamiliar. But for anyone who wants to get up to speed on the issues at play in the digital music field it is a more than worthy starting point. 

China bends online audio/video market in it’s favour

This article on Yahoo! News reports that the Chinese are struggling to deal with the huge increase in online piracy, purportedly having twice as many cases in 2007 than in 2005 and 2006 together.

It is notable that a senior official said that harsher punishments are required, but on reading on I noticed this which I must have missed last month: 

Last month, the government said that in a bid to curb pornography and politically sensitive online subjects, only state-owned firms would be allowed to apply for licenses to share videos and audio online.

Surely this is exactly the kind of behaviour that is contained in the WTO complaints made last year by the US. Under the guise of requiring censorship of inappropriate material it makes it hard for international firms to break into the domestic market.