Jupiter Report Says Napster Users Buy MORE Music

flufffy writes "According to this report on CNet, a new Jupiter Research report on 2200 online music fans has found that Napster users are likely to buy more rather than less music. "Because Napster users are music enthusiasts, it's logical to believe that they are more likely to purchase now and increase their music spending in the future," Jupiter analyst Aram Sinnreich said in a statement. OK so it's another Napster story -- but, of all the Net behaviour researchers out there, Jupiter are one set of people I would trust more to do their research methodically and impartially. I think that this is one of the strongest surveys of the issue released so far." I'm sure that the RIAA has statistics that will say the opposite, but I think I agree with this - just because I can download something doesn't mean I don't want the CD as well.

Comments

Hilary Rosen quote

[jackmama]

"I don't think it matters at all whether we've been economically hurt," she said. "I think that if I own my shirt and you borrow it, it doesn't matter whether or not I have another shirt. You're just not entitled to borrow it without my permission. And if you have a copyright asset, that is the principle of copyright--that you get to control and own your own work, and other people don't get to profit from it without your permission."

I think we can all agree that Hilary Rosen topless is a bad thing, and if that's what happens when people use Napster, I'd rather they stop.

Important Clarification

[ParticleGirl]

People are saying that just because Napster users buy more music doesn't imply causation. This is true, however... The study didn't just measure the current level of spending; it measured an increase in spending since starting to use Napster. At the Jupiter Communications website, you can see that Napsters users have increased their spending more than other online music fans. This is a very important distinction, because it does imply causation.

In addition, I must say that I personally use Napster, and I certainly buy more music than I did before. I'm exposed to more groups that I wouldnt' have heard of, and I'm much more likely to hear a song or two and like it, then go out and buy the album. I have no CD burner at home, and I'd like to be able to listen to the music on my discman and in my car, not just when I'm in the same room as my computer; and anyway, it's much easier to use for sampling and exploring than it would be if I was trying to download entire albums. And I'm willing to bet that sales near colleges have gone down because of CDNow and other such services that are cheaper and easier to get good music from than most music stores that take advantage of college towns.