More than one in five internet users regularly download music from the web, according to a new study from Nielsen//NetRatings.
The report found that 31 million internet users, some 22% of the active internet population aged 18 and over had downloaded music in the past 30 days. This is a potentially lucrative audience given that 71% had purchased music in the past month.
Rap and dance/club songs lend themselves to internet distribution and downloaders are twice as likely to have purchased music from these genres than the average internet user.
The record business is struggling to find a workable method for selling music online (see Digital The Way Ahead For Music Business, Says Forrester) but this report shows evidence of potential in this area.
“Recording industry executives are devoted to finding a successful business model for selling music online,” said Greg Bloom, senior internet analyst at Nielsen//NetRatings. “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.”
Apple is the first major company to address the demand for online music and has sold more than a million songs via its iTunes Music Store, which launched last week.
