New pirating technique threatens already beleaguered music industry

Software that makes it possible to copy music from streaming services has taken off among youngsters

Online streaming services like Spotify have apparently not put an end to the illegal pirating of music, they have just paved the way for an all new approach.

A new study shows that nearly half of all 16 to 24-year-olds are now using ‘stream-ripping’ software that allows them to make pristine copies of anything they are listening to on services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

Why buy the cow …
The numbers of people using the software actually surpasses the numbers obtaining illegal downloads via file-sharing sites, according to a new study by global researchers Ipsos.

While specific numbers were not available for Denmark, Danish youngsters and their Nordic cousins have always been big users of both legal and illegal file-sharing and streaming sites, so it is easy to assume they are on the upper end of stream-ripping users.

READ MORE: Streaming music massive in Scandinavia

The survey also showed that 82 percent of all music streaming occurs on YouTube, making it a frequent target for stream-ripping software.

Record companies are currently negotiating new licensing agreements with YouTube, which has consistently tried to downplay its role as a music platform.

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