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Music piracy rates are plummeting in 2019

10% less people are illegally accessing music this year than in 2018

Music piracey levels have dropped over 10% in 20 countries in the 16-64 years old demographic, a report from The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) has detailed.

The IFPI, which is reponsible for representing the recorded music industry globally, has issued a Music Listening report for 2019 which shows a year-on-year drop in piracy levels.

The report details how listeners aged between 16 and 64 years old access music in 20 countries. Among other statistics referenced in the annual report, the IFPI reported that 27% of music consumers listened to or accessed unlicensed music in the last month - a 10% drop on the figures reported in 2018, when 38% of the same demographic were illegally accessing music. 

IPFI's Music Listening report also notes that the total number of people ripping streams of music had dropped almost 10%, from 32% in 2018 to 23% this year. 34% of music listeners aged between 16 and 24 years old were among those committing streaming-ripping in the last month.

The drop in piracy has created a boom in online streaming, with the US industry alone expected to hit $8.4 billion in revenue in 2019.

Read the full report from the IFPI here.

A recent Harvard study found that most lawyers agree piracy to be ethically acceptable.