A Model of Music Piracy

Music piracy has evolved from a minor concern in technology magazines to a major issue discussed almost daily in the media. The industry claims potentially billions of dollars are at stake and we seek to determine why extensive anti-piracy strategies don’t appear successful. We propose a Model of Music Piracy and, using a survey, test and validate a section of the model using SEM. The majority of propositions were upheld, but contrary to expectations, age was not significant. All users are well aware of the law, prominent cases, and penalties incurred, however these deterrents do not change behaviour or attitudes to piracy. They feel online anonymity affords some protection, and there is safety in numbers (music companies cannot catch everyone). Our work and other studies suggest a certain level of music piracy is efficacious, and further research should confirm this notion and determine whether an optimum level exists