From...

June 11, 1999
Web posted at: 3:34 p.m. EDT (1934 GMT)

by Mark Lisabeth D'Amico

MUNICH (IDG) -- A German music industry trade group Wednesday said it has shut down over 100 illegal music Web sites in recent months.

The moves have been directed mainly at sites which offer users MP3 (Motion Picture Experts Group, Audio Layer 3,) files for songs to which they have not obtained the copyright, said the German branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in a statement issued yesterday.

MP3 is a format for compressing audio files, so that they can be easily downloaded over the Internet and stored on a disk drive or mobile player. Software to create and play MP3 files is freely available, opening the door to possible online music piracy.

Working with IFPI members in 70 other countries, the German IFPI Group conducts constant searches of illegal Web sites, the group said. Internet piracy cost the music industry at least 20 million marks ($10.7 million) in 1998, the group said, and that figure is expected to rise in the future.

The downloading of MP3 files continues to explode, in spite of efforts by the IFPI and other music industry associations to stop the illegal copying. MP3 supporters argue that the recording industry will have to accept the software piracy, and instead come up with another way to make money, such as offering music downloads on Web sites supported by advertising and subscriptions.

Mary Lisbeth D'Amico writes for the IDG News Service.