Free Music Downloads Lead to Sales

Free Music Downloads Lead to Sales

May 08, 2003

According to Nielsen, downloaders of music are more likely to buy music.

From CNET News.com: Free Music Downloads Lead to Sales

"Web surfers who download music from song-swap sites are more likely to buy music online, as well as offline at retailers.

The survey released Wednesday was based on 36,000 Internet users and released by Web tracker Nielsen/NetRatings.

It showed that nearly 31 million active Internet users aged 18 or older--representing 22 percent of the active Internet universe--downloaded music in the past 30 days, and 71 percent bought music in the past three months.

The research indicated that in the past three months, online music enthusiasts were 111 percent more likely to buy rap music than average Internet users, Nielsen/NetRatings said."

- by Aimee Deep at 09:40 AM with 66 comments

Comments

"Web surfers who download music from song-swap sites are more likely to buy music online, as well as offline at retailers." An alternative interpretation is in order, though: folks who are very interested in music are more likely to buy music and/or download it from the web than people who are less interested in music. I think the authors of the article have managed to discover that people who are sufficiently motivated to download music are also interested enough in music to buy it. Phrased that way, it doesn't seem so revolutionary, IMO. Posted by: Wiz, on May 8, 2003 12:11 PM