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Music Downloading & Copyright Law

What do I need to know about music downloading and copyright law?

Young people have always been passionate about music but it’s no longer just a case of listening to the radio or CDs or going to gigs.

Now, they listen to streamed music on the internet and their mobiles on websites like Spotify, download it onto their MP3 players and other devices from online music stores like iTunes or services like Vodafone Music, and share it with others.

According to the BPI, 95% of singles in the UK are now bought as digital downloads and Apple announced in early 2010 that 10 billion songs had been sold on iTunes

Your kids might even be budding musicians creating and publishing their own music online on YouTube or social networking sites like Facebook.

Whilst it’s great that children and teenagers are making the most of technology to support their interests, you need to make them aware of the legal and security implications of downloading and sharing their favourite music tracks, in particular.

Some young people are infringing copyright by accessing, downloading and sharing music through peer-to-peer websites. They might not even be aware that they’re doing anything wrong.

Did you know?

In a survey of 14-24 year olds by UK Music in 2009, 86 per cent of respondents said they had copied a CD for a friend; 75 per cent have sent music by email, Bluetooth, Skype or MSN; 57 per cent have copied a friend’s entire music collection; 39 per cent have downloaded music from an online storage site; and 38 per cent have ripped a TV, radio or internet stream

What can I do about music downloading and copyright law?

  • Make sure that your kids are using legal music download and streaming websites – read our article about downloading & copyright so that you can discuss the legal and security implications of downloading music with them
  • Get them to show you some of their favourite music websites and (if you haven’t done this before) download some tracks so you know how it works
  • Discuss the price of music subscriptions and downloads with your son or daughter so that they understand how the costs can escalate
  • Check the ‘explicit music’ policy of any service your kids are using – all tracks should be identified as containing explicit lyrics before they are downloaded

Where can I go for more information and support about music downloading and copyright law?

How old are your kids?

What you need to know to get started

  • 5-7 years old

    Technology is part of your child's life before they start primary school. They're probably using the computer, the internet and interactive TV for fun - watching programmes on the CBeebies channel and website or taking part in the Club Penguin chat rooms...but they still need adult guidance and supervision.

    Read more

  • 8-11 years old

    If you have 8-11 year old children, your house is probably full of technology - PlayStation, Nintendo, iPod...the list goes on. In fact, research shows that 8-11 year olds in the UK have an average of four media devices in their bedroom.

    This is a crucial age for young people to embrace new technologies and develop their ICT skills both at home and at school...and it's a crucial time for you to take control when they start exploring the digital world as well as the real world.

    Read more

  • 12-14 years old

    They're at secondary school and growing up fast. It's a time of change and their digital world might seem as important as the real world to them. They might spend their evenings on Bebo, Facebook or MySpace ; watching videos on YouTube and uploading their own for others to watch; or doing research for their homework.

    You want to encourage their technology and social skills, of course, so it's useful to understand what they're doing with technology and to get involved with it.

    Read more

  • 15+ years old

    Once your children are teenagers, it might be tempting to think that they're tech-savvy and dealing with everything the virtual world can throw at them. You probably watch in awe as they switch from chatting with friends on Facebook to updating their Twitter profile; playing against someone on the other side of the world on their games console to downloading music on their mobile.

    It's all great fun but, as they get older, the things you need to help them to cope with in their digital world are ever more challenging. Far from leaving them to it, you really need to keep communicating with them.

    Read more

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