This speaks for itself:

A Nielsen/NetRatings survey of 36,000 Internet users found that Web surfers who download music from song-swapping sites are more likely to buy music online and in stores, than non-swappers. The research indicates that in the past three months, online music enthusiasts (defined as people who'd downloaded music in the past 30 days) were 111% more likely to buy rap music than the average Internet user. They were also 106% more likely to have purchased dance and club music and 77% more likely to have bought alternative rock than their average online counterparts. R&B, soul music and rock rounded out the top five genres favored by music fans. Greg Bloom, a senior analyst at Nielsen/NetRatings, says that understanding the preferences of online music enthusiasts may help recording executives in their attempts to promote their own, legitimate services: "The de facto standard may be a few years away, but understanding the genres of music that sell well online and offline will be crucial to generating revenue along the way."

Heh.

Posted by jzawodn at May 09, 2003 02:36 PM

Reader Comments
# Kalyan Varma said:

Over the last 4 years, I've downloaded the mp3 1st, listened to it, and then went out and got the CD. How can I get some music, without sampling it before.

on May 9, 2003 03:43 PM
# Sean said:

Wait a sec ... doesn't this really just show that people interested in music buy more music than people who aren't? Or is my statistics-addled brain missing the point?

That said, I think your point holds --- I buy after sampling online, basically because it's too much of a hassle to compile a full album with consistent meta-data encodings, etc...

on May 9, 2003 05:16 PM
# Tzicha said:

Likewise here. Where I live the Radio stations rarely play songs that interest me. While my current tape/cd collection is extensive, it is nice to find new artists/styles that interest me. Online is where I turn to find that. Two things that encourage me to actually buy the music: able to download in MP3 format, not some DRM crippled file that always wants to connect to the 'Net to verify my permission to play the stupid thing, and information regarding the artist/group and album.

on May 12, 2003 05:50 AM
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone. My current, past, or previous employers are not responsible for what I write here, the comments left by others, or the photos I may share. If you have questions, please contact me. Also, I am not a journalist or reporter. Don't "pitch" me.

 

Privacy: I do not share or publish the email addresses or IP addresses of anyone posting a comment here without consent. However, I do reserve the right to remove comments that are spammy, off-topic, or otherwise unsuitable based on my comment policy. In a few cases, I may leave spammy comments but remove any URLs they contain.