A new survey suggests that people who illegally download music from the internet also spend more money on music than anyone else, reports the Independent. The U.K. survey found that those who admit illegally downloading music spent an average of £77 a year on music--£33 more than those who claim that they never download music dishonestly. The findings suggest that plans to crack down on illegal downloaders by threatening to cut off their internet connections could harm the music industry by punishing its core customers. The poll, which surveyed 1,000 16- to 50-year-olds with internet access, found that one in 10 people admit to downloading music illegally. "The people who file-share are the ones who are [most] interested in music," said Mark Mulligan of Forrester Research. "They use file-sharing as a discovery mechanism." Once they find music they particularly like, they'll spend money to buy more from that artist. The poll's findings could have implications for new legislation in the U.K. that is set to become law next April, setting out new measures to crack down on internet piracy that include a "three strikes and you're out" policy for cutting off repeat offenders' internet access. But the measure has generated criticism from internet service providers, who say it will be difficult to enforce...

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