Paid music downloads jump 150 percent

Some 20 million Americans have paid to download music or MP3 files over the Internet, a 150 percent increase over the past year, a study released Monday found.

More than a third of online music consumers paid to download files, while more than two-fifths of downloaders between the ages of 25 and 54 did so, according to the study by the global marketing research firm Ipsos-Insight.

The marketing firm found, however, the youngest users -- those 12- to 17-years-old -- were the least likely to pay for digital music.

"While these data are a clear indication that American downloaders are embracing the concept of fee-based digital music in growing numbers, existing music services have yet to truly penetrate the population of file-sharing stalwarts," Ipsos-Insight Vice President Matt Kleinschmit said in a statement.

The firm attributed the low rates of paying downloaders among this youngest generation in part to the focus on credit cards to pay for digital music.

"Given their age and associated financial or credit restrictions, increasingly youth-oriented service features and purchase options may be beneficial in attracting this critical mass of future-generation digital music purchasers," Kleinschmit said.

The study's findings were based on interviews conducted June 24-28 with 1,114 U.S. respondents age 12 and over, and have an error margin of plus or minus 2.94 percentage points.

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