US: File-sharing differently

Americans are sharing digital music as much as ever, but less on the P2P services, according to the latest Pew Internet & American Life study. The percentage of Net users who swap tunes online is holding steady at about 24%. The change is here: "Twenty-one percent of current music downloaders say they still [actively] use P2P systems, compared with 31% in February 2004," while use of paid music services like iTunes and Napster has gone from 17% a year ago to 34% now, the Associated Press reports. But other alternatives are being used, too: About half of music and video downloaders say they're using email and instant messaging to share files (but see below about safe IM-ing), as well as transferring them from friends' iPods and other MP3 players. CNN Money puts it a little more negatively (also mentioning next week's arguments on file-sharing before the US Supreme Court): "7 million Americans - or about 9% of Internet users - are currently making unlicensed copies of music from someone else's iPod or similar MP3 device. About 10 million are getting bootlegged music and movies through email and instant messages." Meanwhile, the Consumer Federation of American released an 80-page report that represents a "full-scale assault" on the media companies' legal strategy, CNET reports. "Record companies and movie studios have tried to make this a debate about privacy and theft," said the Federation's research director, Mark Cooper. "It is not. It is about progress and freedom of expression."