Piracy and especially music piracy has been a staple of the internet age and a problem that’s both complicated and hard to address. Or is it? Not if you take a look at Norway where, in a few short years, the problem of music piracy has essentially disappeared.
According to a new poll, less that 5% of people under the age of 30 were willing to admit they were downloading illegal music. That’s down from 80% just five years ago. Even better, less than one percent of those polled said piracy was the primary way through which they enjoyed music.
So did people in Norway suddenly become much less willing to admit the truth or is something different going on here?
Luckily the answer seems to be the second option. Piracy overall, but especially music piracy seems to be disappearing in Norway thanks to the promotions and adoption rates of streaming services. According to a report, streaming sites in the country saw their revenue grow significantly year to year and streaming services now account for 65% of the country’s music market.
As a result, the police barely have anything to do when it comes to piracy, and the courts have yet to punish anyone for illegally downloading content. Not only that, but ISPs are also allowed to do their job instead of being asked to police the internet on the government’s behalf.
Who knew that offering people an affordable and convenient way to legally purchase content would lead to drops in illegal activity? Surprising, we know.
Source: TorrentFreak