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The Guardian is reporting that according to a study by the industry group British Music Rights, 95% of 18-24 years old engaged in what it calls “home copying” which refers to things such as making copies of CD’s and MP3 files. The study reported that 2/3rds of that group copied five CD’s a month for their friends.

Is this something new? Not really. Anyone who grew up in the 80’s probably has fond memories of making mix tapes with their double deck boom boxes, or by using their stereo systems to copy LP tracks onto cassette, and when the VCR came out, people eagerly copied and traded tapes of their favorite shows and music videos.  Is sharing bad for the music industry? The RIAA would have us all believe so, but others argue that it’s actually beneficial because it exposes people to music they otherwise may never have heard. The debate rages on.

This recent study was made as the UK government ponders the introduction of an exception to British copyright law that would allow citizens to legally copy music they have bought for private home use. However that turns out, it’s a sure bet that home copying is here to stay.

Read [The Guardian]