Press Release from The Project Factory
THE STEALING GENERATION: WHY AUSTRALIANS DOWNLOAD ILLEGALLY THE PROJECT FACTORY RELEASES RESULTS OF THEIR DIGITAL CONTENT SURVEY
Results of The Project Factory’s Digital Downloading Survey show that digital content piracy is alive and well, and that efforts to stem the behaviour have failed.
The survey collected the profile, digital content related behaviour and views of a cross section of 700 Australians and specifically sought to get a better understanding of the perceived meaning of ‘piracy’ among the consumers, the factors that influence them to consume or distribute “stolen” digital content and their receptiveness to industry proposed new, and what some may describe as radical, revenue concepts.
40% of respondents downloaded digital content for free that should otherwise be paid for, which was the definition used in this survey to capture “pirate” activity. Around 30% of the survey respondents reported that they do not spend any money on downloading content. Young singles, and couples and typically those with access to high disposable income (either their own or their household) were more likely to access pirated content.
KEY REASONS WHY PEOPLE DOWNLOAD
There was no single standout reason for pirating digital content. Around 70% of the survey respondents said the following factors were very important or important in their decision to download content that might otherwise be paid for:
• It’s free (76%)
• Convenience (74%)
• Can’t get hold of it (70%).
Not surprisingly, the types of digital content downloaded (and uploaded) fell into three tiers in terms of popularity and frequency of downloads and/or uploads by respondents:
• Tier 1 (the main type of media downloaded): Music
• Tier 2: TV shows and movies
• Tier 3: Games and eBooks (a very distant third)
PIRATES KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!
Many respondents understood the impact of piracy on the industry! Around 60% of respondent’s agreed/strongly agreed with statements that digital piracy negatively affects the industry (music label, studios etc) and individuals (musicians, actors etc). PEOPLE WILL PAY FOR THE RIGHT BUSINESS MODEL Respondents, however, are not necessarily looking for a “free”, no strings attached model, but rather some sort of model or framework to guide and facilitate their digital access of content (e.g., rent plus advertising approach).
Almost all respondents (83%) were willing to pay some monthly fee to be able to freely download and own unlimited movies, music, eBooks and games. The Project Factory recognised that in order for the industry to fully exploit the opportunities that exist for content creators, owners and providers to distribute and promote their content across digital channels, and for individuals to enjoy such content, the thinking and behaviours of the digital content consumer must be better understood. This survey was conducted by Complete The Picture Consulting.