Of course both sides in this debate will point to equally viable (or, rather, equally flawed) research that seems to back their argument, but the latest study into online music habits again suggests that the people the music industry are busy suing for copyright violation are some of their best customers.
The new survey of 600 music fans comes from research firm The Leading Question and seems to suggest that the people who illegally share music via P2P networks like Kazaa are also the biggest spenders on legit download platforms like iTunes. That is to say filesharers use the P2P network to try music out, and when they find something they like they speed over to iTunes and buy it. The survey says those who regularly download or share unlicensed music also spend an average of £5.52 a month on legal downloads, where as those who don't use P2P networks only spend an average of £1.27 a month on digital tracks.
Summarising the research, The Leading Question director Paul Brindley told reporters: "This research shows that music fans who break piracy laws are highly valuable customers. There's a myth that all illegal downloaders are mercenaries hell-bent on breaking the law in pursuit of free music. In reality they are often hardcore fans who are extremely enthusiastic about adopting paid-for services as long as they are suitably compelling".
Needless to say, the BPI point to other research that shows that P2P users spend less on music overall (especially in terms of CD purchases). The BPI's Matt Phillips told the Guardian: "It's encouraging that many illegal file sharers are starting to use legal services. But our concern is that file sharers' expenditure on music overall is down, a fact borne out by study after study. While a third of illegal file sharers may buy more music, around two-thirds buy less, and that two-thirds tend to include people who were the heaviest buyers. That's why we need to continue our carrot and stick approach to the problem of illegal filesharing."