Walking CDs drives music fans digital

Posted on 16 Nov 2005 at 11:15

UK music fans' inability to hang on to their CD collections is driving the adoption of digital music services, according to an ICM survey.

The survey found that we have lost two billion vinyl records and CDs through theft or by lending them out, that's 37 out of the average 126-strong collection. As a result, the survey claims, one-in-five are now using the Internet to get our music while 42 per cent no longer venture into high street stores where they cannot find what they are looking for.

In fact such is our love of digital music that a quarter of us would rather listen to our tunes through a computer or MP3 player than bother with the hassle of a hi-fi; however thirty-five per cent of us prefer digital collections to a stack of CDs or vinyl cluttering up the living room.

Other statistics from the report include: 51 per cent have loaned records to friends or colleagues but never got them back; 21 per cent have had records taken by a spouse or partner when a relationship ends; 15 per cent have had records pinched at a party; and 37 per cent have had to buy the same record more than once to replace a lost or stolen version. As a result, we have had to spend around £220m on replacing missing records.

Napster, who commissioned the survey, said that it is 'worth noting' than a monthly subscription to its music service - which gives you access to its entire catalogue as long as you keep paying the subscription fee - costs less than the average £22 per month that each UK citizen is spending on music, albeit on physical products without DRM (sometimes) that you get to keep forever, can listen to wherever you like and only have to pay for once.

'This latest ICM research underlines the tremendous shift towards digital music that we've witnessed all year,' said Leanne Sharman, Napster vice-president & UK general manager. 'Napster UK alone now has over 850,000 members with analysts increasingly pointing to digital subscription as the music retail business model of the future. This is further borne out by these findings which show how quickly traditional record formats are becoming obsolete.'

Author: Simon Aughton