DESPITE the success of Apple iTunes, few people stock their iPod with tracks from the online store, a study has revealed.
The Jupiter Research report found that, on average, only 20 of the tracks on a iPod will be from the iTunes shop. Far more important to iPod owners, said the study, was free music ripped from CDs someone already owned or acquired from filesharing sites.
The report's authors claimed their findings had profound implications for the future of the online music market. They estimate that during 2006, Europeans will spend more than 385m on digital music . . . the majority of this spending will be on tracks from Apple's iTunes store.
However, the report into the habits of iPod users reveals that 83% of iPod owners do not buy digital music regularly. The minority, 17%, buy and download music, usually single tracks, at least once per month. On average, the study reports, only 5% of the music on an iPod will be bought from online music stores. The rest will be from CDs the owner of an MP3 player already has or tracks they have downloaded from file-sharing sites.
The importance of 'free' to digital music fans should not be underestimated, said the report, and should be a factor for newer firms, such as Spiral Frog, which use an ad-supported model.
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