Well, some good news for the legitimate download industry, and especially Apple boss Steve Jobs. iTunes has come joint second in the chart of most used online music services in the US getting more users in Mar than nasty P2P networks Kazaa and iMesh.
I have no idea how they work these things out, or how accurate the research is, but it is the first time legit download platforms have been seen to properly compete with the file sharing networks in terms of number of users. Although P2P network WinMix boasted 2.1 million users in Mar, iTunes got 1.7 million, the same as file sharing network LimeWire. Napster and Real Network's Rhapsody also appeared in the top ten.
Commenting on the findings, Russ Crupnick of the research firm behind the survey, NPD, told reporters: "One of the music industry's questions has been: when will paid download stores compete head-to-head with free P2P download services? That question has now been answered. iTunes is more popular than nearly any P2P service, and two other paid digital music offerings have also gained a level of critical mass."
Of course pessimists might say the growth in the number of P2P networks means that no one service will boast as many users as before - hence the latest results in favour of iTunes et al. Though optimists might say the same is also true for legit platforms, so that shouldn't affect overall stats. Either way, the survey surely shows the legit download sector is maintaining considerable momentum as digital music goes more mainstream.