Back into the world of downloading, and some good news, of sorts, for the record labels.
Firstly, latest data from Nielsen-SoundScan in the US shows that legitimate music downloads have already taken over from CD as the dominant format in single sales. Nielsen currently produce separate charts for CD single and download sales. The top two tracks in the singles chart - Clay Aiken's 'The Solitary Way' and JoJo's 'Leave (Get Out)' sold 10,500 and 5700 units respectively. The top two tracks in the download chart - Hoobastank's 'The Reason' and OutKast's 'Roses' - sold 14,279 and 9500 units a piece. Those figures are good news for the record labels, who have no problem with the download replacing loss-leading singles, providing the downloads are bought through legitimate services.
Second, heartening reading in the latest research on downloading in Canada. A new study by a company called Ipsos-Reid suggests that, despite Canadian courts proving awkward in the record labels' legal fight against digital piracy, incidents of downloading in the country are down considerably. 47% of internet users said they had illegally downloaded a track last June, now just 32% say they are downloading illegal music. The research firm reckons confusion over whether or not the Recording Industry Association of America's legal action extended into Canada (which, actually, it doesn't) was a key reason for the decline. The major record labels in Canada remain cautious however. They say their own research does not show such dramatic a decline in illegal downloading and even if it did the fact that 32% of internet users were still downloading (compared to 24% of American web surfers) was still a cause for concern.
Finally, new research in the UK suggests that bundling in promo videos and print-out-and-keep artwork would persuade music fans to pay for legitimate downloads rather than seeking out tracks illegally via P2P networks. The survey by Entertainment Media Research found that just under 25% said access to a video would persuade them to pay for a download, while 16% were attracted by official artwork. Only 5% said the offer of bonus tracks would attract them.