The industry group ‘British Music Rights’ has conducted a study into the level of file sharing that takes place in the UK due to young people copying and swapping their music on their MP3 players. It appears that music sharing in this manner is rife, with the Internet making it even easier to download and swap music via MP3 that hasn’t been paid for.

It’s not just MP3 players that are the source of the illegal music sharing however, as copied CDs make up an even greater amount of swapped music that hasn’t been paid for.

With home computers allowing for the swapping of MP3s and CD copying, it’s even easier to share music that when cassette decks first made music sharing possible 30 years ago.

The chief executive of British Music Rights, former undertones lead singer Feargal Sharkey, says the trend of music sharing could seriously damage of music.

“For somebody who has spent 30 years in the music industry, you instinctively know this stuff is going on. But when you actually sit looking at your computer and see a number that says 95% of people are copying music at home, you suddenly go, ‘Bloody hell’.”

Rather than blaming young music fans for sharing their music, Feargal Sharkey wants the music business to adapt to the way the fans are listening to their music in order for it to survive.

He means to support the MP3 player, rather than blame it for music piracy.