Support for student research - FAQ

Thanks for your interest in the music industry and our positions on various issues. We get many requests from students for information for papers and other research needs. While we're happy to help, unfortunately we can't always answer every question. Below is a list of commonly asked questions. You should also take a closer look at our website and look at the materials available. We hope you find it useful and informative. Good luck!

1. What exactly does the IFPI do? Who does the organisation represent?

IFPI represents the recording industry worldwide, with a membership comprising some 1400 record companies in 66 countries and affiliated industry associations in 45 countries. IFPI's mission is to promote the value of recorded music, safeguard the rights of record producers and expand the commercial uses of recorded music in all markets where its members operate.

Any company, firm or person producing sound recordings or music videos which are made available to the public in reasonable quantities is eligible for IFPI membership.

The IFPI has seven key areas of work - anti-piracy enforcement, technology, lobbying of governments and representation in international organisations, legal strategies, litigation, market research and public relations. IFPI is the recording industry's most authoritative source of market research and information, providing a comprehensive range of global industry statistics.

2. Where can I get an overview of the digital music market?

The best source of information on the digital music market is our Digital Music Report. The report is available for download free of charge on the IFPI website (go to 'Statistics').

We also have key speeches and viewpoints from leading industry figures in our 'Views' section of the website.

3. I would like to ask for a copy of the Recording Industry in Numbers for academic use.

Academic institutions and educational bodies' discount rate: £ 225 (includes delivery of three physical copies of the report). Orders must be placed by the university library director or equivalent. Sorry but requests by students will not be accepted under the terms of the special offer.

4. I am writing a paper on piracy. Where can I get latest figures and the industry position on piracy?

All information on piracy and our strategies to combat piracy are outlined in the Piracy Report, which can be downloaded for free from the IFPI website (go to 'Statistics'). There you will also find some academic papers for background research.

5. Where do I find a summary of all legitimate music services available around the world?

You can find a list of all legitimate digital music services around the world on www.pro-music.org: www.pro-music.org/Content/GetMusicOnline/OnlineStores.php

6. I'm doing a research dissertation around DRM and digital music, and would like to interview a representative of IFPI. Can you help?

You will find information about digital music and DRM in our Digital Music Report. As for the interview, we get many requests for interviews and if we were to agree to do all of them we would not be able to do our job! But we try to put as much of the information we have and our position on various issues in our reports or in other sections of our website. Please take a look and good luck!

7. Is there only data on music piracy in categories (like <10% or >50%)? Is it possible to obtain more exact data? Is there also information available on digital piracy?

In the majority of cases we do not break out exact physical piracy rates on a market basis. As you can imagine it is very difficult to accurately measure the level of piracy in a certain country. We do provide more exact data in the countries where we have consistent research. You will see in our Piracy Report the countries where we have more precise information. You will also find our global estimates on digital piracy.