That’s the results of a recent survey by digital media researchers The Leading Question, anyway. Their studies show that people who illegally download music spend much more on legal music compared to the average Joe. £5.52 compared to £1.72, in fact.

I’ve been saying this for ages, and I think it is specifically true of the younger generation. I’m not saying that everything I’ve ever downloaded has an identical legal copy, but if I hadn’t been able to acclimatise myself with Eric Clapton by downloading a few of his greats, I would never have bought his Greatest Hits on Amazon. And if I hadn’t downloaded Pink Floyd masterpieces, I wouldn’t have bought theirs either.

“The research clearly shows that music fans who break piracy laws are highly valuable customers,” The Leading Question’s Paul Brindley told BBC News. “There’s a myth that all illegal downloaders are mercenaries hell-bent on breaking the law in pursuit of free music.”

Of course, there are the exceptions - and huge exceptions - the ones who milk the filesharing empire for all it’s worth, acquiring track after track, album after album, every day of the year, and never giving anything back. But on the whole, in my experience, it acts as an illegal try-before-you-buy service.

Special disclaimer: No, I’ve never downloaded music. Ever.

Via: [NME]