Psychological predictors of engagement in music piracy

Abstract

The digital revolution has changed how consumers engage with music. The present study explored the potential psychological factors underpinning why many consumers engage in music piracy. 396 participants (71.00% female, Mage = 34.53) completed an online questionnaire. Preference for accessing music digitally was associated with more favorable attitudes towards music piracy, as was being male, and expressing low levels of conscientiousness. Concerning the uses and gratifications of using different formats to engage with music, music piracy was found to be a financially viable way of listening to music. Discussion focuses on the notion that recorded music is perceived as poor value for money, and this is considered distinct from the widespread perception that piracy is simply about getting free music

Freedom of choice: Examining music listening as a function of favorite music format.

“…The present research details the data concerning the formats that people prefer (that is people's favoured format). In this way, the data considered in Brown and Krause (2017) and Krause and Brown (2019) is excluded.…”

“…The theory has been used to consider music behaviors, such as the reasons for listening to music (Lonsdale & North, 2011), downloading music from the Internet (Kinnally, Lacayo, McClung, & Sapolsky, 2008), using streaming services (Mäntymäki & Islam, 2015), and Facebook music listening applications (Krause, North, & Heritage, 2014), as well as engaging in music piracy (Brown & Krause, 2017). Previous research has also considered the use of mp3 players (Ferguson, Greer, & Reardon, 2007), radio (Albarran et al, 2007; Bentley, 2012; McClung, Pompper, & Kinnally, 2007), and media use in adolescence and young adulthood (Arnett, 1995; Coyne, Padilla-Walker, & Howard, 2013).…”

“…Some of the material presented in this article has been previously disseminated in presentations made at the 2017 Conference of the Australian Music & Psychology Society and the 2016 International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition, as well as a book chapter (Krause & Brown, 2018). Moreover, as noted in the manuscript, this research is part of a wider study concerning everyday music listening practices (Brown & Krause, 2017;Krause & Brown, 2019). It is the realist form of the music, a very different feeling than listening to a recording, you feel much more in touch with music and other fans Communal connection I enjoy the interaction that often occurs plus it's a joy to see it live, a pleasure not everyone experiences Connecting to the music I play live music, and I feel a stronger connection to the feelings of the musical piece when listening to it live Physically present…”

A uses and gratifications approach to considering the music formats that people use most often

“…Participants were invited to take part in the study in the first quarter of 2016 as a part of a larger investigation concerning music listening behavior (see also Brown & Krause, 2017;Brown & Krause, 2019). To consider the uses and gratifications of different formats, the present research employed the data concerning the formats that people use most often in particular.…”

“…To consider the uses and gratifications of different formats, the present research employed the data concerning the formats that people use most often in particular. In this way, data on attitudes toward music piracy (Brown & Krause, 2017) and people's nominated favorite format (Brown & Krause, 2019) are excluded from the present study's analyses.…”