Is music piracy over? Comparing music piracy attitudes and behaviors between young generations

• Published date: 01 June 2022
• Author: Karla Borja,Suzanne Dieringer
• Date: 01 June 2022
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12459

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Is music piracy over? Comparing music

piracy attitudes and behaviors between

young generations

Karla Borja | Suzanne Dieringer

The University of Tampa, Department of Economics, Tampa, Florida, USA

Correspondence

Karla Borja, Department of Economics,

The University of Tampa,

401 W. Kennedy Blvd., Box O, Tampa, FL

33606, USA.

Email: kborja@ut.edu

Abstract

To understand and predict the consumer patterns of

generational groups within a highly technological

world, it is critical to study their experiences, social

views, and attitudes about music. Today, limited infor-

mation is available to the research community about

“Gen Z,”a population group that recently entered col-

lege life and the next largest consumer group after the

Millennials. This study aims at closing this gap by

exploring and comparing distinctive patterns and con-

sumer behavior in the music market between Gen Z

and Millennials. Using a group of 1624 college students

from two universities in the United States, we found

that Gen Z is less prone to music piracy than Millen-

nials, and those who pirate music tend to share similar

social norms, a limited understanding of copyright

infringements, and poor views about the music indus-

try. New technologies are also transforming the way

future generations are drawn into music piracy. We

conclude that music infringement will continue to be

an ethical dilemma and the industry should continue

in its effort to design consumer policies to assist young

generations.

Received: 23 June 2021 Revised: 25 April 2022 Accepted: 2 May 2022

DOI: 10.1111/joca.12459

© 2022 American Council on Consumer Interests.

J Consum Aff. 2022;56:899–924. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/joca 899

KEYWORDS

digital music piracy, generational groups, logit model; music

streaming, online consumer behavior

JEL CLASSIFICATION

D12, D81, D91

1|INTRODUCTION

Sociologists and anthropologists have studied the varied attitudes and behaviors among genera-

tional groups over the years. Our study expands on this subject by focusing on generational con-

sumer behavior in the online marketplace of music. More specifically, we are concerned about

music piracy conducted by Millennials and Gen Z.

i

Few studies have compared generational

patterns in music consumption among Gen Z college students (Golden, 2019; Turner, 2015).

Most empirical research has focused on Gen Z children and teens, who are of limited interest as

potential consumers with purchasing power (Bassiouni & Hackley, 2014). The study of genera-

tional behavior in the online music industry remains both relevant and controversial. In the

U.S. market alone, the number of paid subscriptions to a music streaming service increased

from 10.8 million in 2015 to 75.5 million in 2020 (RIAA, 2021), clearly demonstrating a new

and inexpensive venue for listening to music. However, the losses in terms of industry revenue,

jobs, and earnings due to music piracy are still significant. The Institute for Policy Innovation

estimated that the U.S. economy loses about $12.5 billion in total output and 71,000 jobs annu-

ally due to music piracy. In addition, there is evidence of $2.7 billion in annual earning losses

and $422 billion in federal, state, and local government tax revenue losses due to music copy-

right infringement (Siwek, 2007).

With the commercialization of the internet and music streaming, Millennials experienced

distinct changes in terms of technology and price. Alternatively, as digital natives, Gen Z has

had access to these services from an early age (Parry & Urwin, 2011; Prensky, 2005). It is impor-

tant to understand whether these factors—new technologies, lower prices for music output, and

early age access to streaming and the internet—have changed the views and values about music

piracy among Gen Z, a generation that comprises approximately one quarter of the

U.S. population and is expected to surpass Millennials as the largest consumer base in 2026

(Gomez et al., 2019).

The music industry has struggled over the past two decades to eradicate music piracy

through innovative consumer policies (Ullman & Silver, 2018). It seems that constant techno-

logical changes make such efforts rapidly obsolete and ineffective. This study provides prelimi-

nary evidence based on a comparative analysis between Millennials and Gen Z to uncover the

factors motivating music piracy and to investigate whether such factors have changed among

generational groups. If music piracy is still a preferred route among Gen Z for music consump-

tion, then the music industry must continue its efforts to tackle this illegal act.

Gen Zers, individuals born between 1995 and 2015, belong to families with older mothers,

live in smaller family groups, and are the most formally educated generation in history

(McCrindle, 2010). During their teen years, Gen Z experienced the deep economic crisis of

2008, making them more conscious of the monetary value of items (Reeves & Oh, 2008). This

group spends significant time using online social networks and is constantly connected (Grail

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