An Investigation Into Whether The Current Trend of Downloading Music Files is Affected By Peoples’ Disposable Income – A Case Study of Blaenau Gwent

Abstract

Abstract A common theory proposed by theorists is that the level of online music piracy is most commonly affected by disposable income. Postulating that the less disposable income an average person has, the more piracy they would theoretically partake in. In order to fully assess whether this assumption was warranted, the low economic area of ‘Blaenau Gwent’ was chosen to act as a sample area in order to prove or disprove this speculation. Initially multiple literary articles and analysis related to the subject area were collated together. From this process it was determined that this theory on disposable income, as well as numerous other theories, was an area that has been suggested to have an effect on music piracy. Some of these other theories included such things as cultural differences, lack of punishment for partaking in online music piracy and the current pricing of music within the market. As well as highlighting the potential reasons behind music piracy, these related articles also highlight some potential solutions. These solutions include things such as increasing the frequency of those caught in the act, bundling services and decreasing sampling costs. All of these theories were considered when moving into the investigation to find out whether the theory of disposable income affecting piracy rates held any validity. Once the results from the Blaenau Gwent area were gathered and analysed, it was found that the theory of disposable income having an effect on levels on online music piracy was accurate. With that said however there were still a few other factors that affected an individual’s decision to partake in online music piracy. Also it was determined that there are some solutions that if developed correctly, may see the effects of music piracy be diminished to some degree.