Tag: bpi
UK digital music spending overtakes physical sales for first time
It's a landmark day or the British music business, as the British Phonographic Industry has just announced that, for the first time ever, digital downloads and streaming have overtaken the sales of CDs, tapes and vinyl in the UK. 55.5%…
Music industry's BPI pushing BT to block The Pirate Bay
Internet service providers and UK telecoms giant BT are being put under pressure by the BPI (a coalition of music industry officials, publishers and Hollywood studios) to pull access to file-sharing site The Pirate Bay. The request comes following a…
95% of music downloads in 2008 were illegal, says IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, or IFPI, is basically an international version of the RIAA and BPI, who claim to act as a trade body for record labels, but seem to only exist in reality to head up the music industry’s anti-piracy campaign. True to that role, last night it released a statement claiming that 95% of music downloads in 2008 were illegal.
However, there’s some bright news for the labels hidden in there too – download sales are up 25% on last year, and now make up a fifth of all recorded music sales. The IFPI reckons that it’s worth £2.5 billion.
Virgin to file-sharers: We won't cut you off
Following a backlash to today’s news that Virgin Media has been sending out warning letters to 800 identified file-sharers, a company spokesman has stated that this is not a prelude to the ISP cutting off offenders’ internet connections.
Virgin Media sends written wrist-slap to 800 file-sharers
Around 800 Virgin Media broadband customers have been sent letters informing them that they have been identified as file-sharers and politely telling them to cease downloading copyright protected content, specifically music. They are also warned that if they don’t stop, “further steps” will be taken against them.
BPI and VIrgin Media to send informative anti-piracy letters to customers who download illegally
Virgin Media’s collaboration with the BPI to crack down on the illegal download and sharing of music has moved forward a few steps.
Both organisations have created stock letters designed to inform and educate Virgin Media customers about the legal implications of stealing music off the web…
Not ISPs' job to police the Internet, says CW's Charles Dunstone
Following last week’s news that Virgin Media may be the first ISP to police their customers in a bid to crack down on illegal downloaders, the chief executive of the Carphone Warehouse, Charles Dunstone, has said that it’s not an Internet Service Provider’s job to police the Internet…
JOY Internet stands up for rights of British Internet users
Following yesterday’s news that Virgin Media is planning to crack down on illegal downloaders, new UK startup JOY Internet has vowed to stand up for the rights of UK Internet users.
“We’re totally against this collusion between the British Phonographic Industry [BPI] and Virgin Media,” said JOY’s Managing Director, Ken Jowes. “We don’t advocate the mass illegal downloading of music and film, but we believe that innocent people will have their Internet connections terminated, without recourse. Those downloading small amounts of content for personal use will also be criminalised, when the real problem of organised gangs working from outside the UK is totally ignored. That’s why we’ve set up JOY Internet.”…
Brits still like music CDs despite rise in Internet downloads
We’re still an nation who likes our CD collections, according to recent figures from the British Phonographic Industry.
Despite the rise in popularity of music downloading (both legal and not), nearly half of the people recently surveyed by PlusNet said that they thought it would be at least ten years until the CD becomes obsolete, with one n ten saying that the format would never die.