Online music in the UK has dropped by a third to 199 million in March this year when compared to 301 million in March 2012, according to a new report by Ofcom.
The latest report comes a year after the recorded music business affirmed itself ‘on the road to recovery,’ with rise in digital sales that drove total revenue by 0.3%.
According to Ofcom’s new report based on research by Kantar Media, one in six UK internet users had illegally streamed or downloaded music and 9% pirated music between March and May.
About 2% of overall pirates were responsible for about three-quarters of online copyright infringement.
Ofcom also reported rise in awareness of legal streaming services such as Netflix, Google Play and Blinkbox.
The study also bolstered that during a three-month period infringers plan to spend more on permissible digital content compared to non-infringers.
In July 2013, the UK Government planned to set up a new police division targeting online piracy and other intellectual property crimes such as counterfeit goods.
