BuyMusic.com's began its legal download service

ALISO VIEJO, California (BuyMusic Press release) - BuyMusic.com, the legal music download store for PC users, today announced a major jump in traffic, which grew 30 percent from September 6 to September 13. BuyMusic.com attributes recent action taken by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to eliminate piracy from the music industry, as the primary reason for this increase.

On September 8, 2003, the RIAA announced its first wave of what could be thousands of civil lawsuits against major offenders who have been illegally distributing substantial amounts (averaging more than 1,000 copyrighted music files each) of copyrighted music on peer-to-peer networks.
"We have said from the outset that the ultimate goal of our enforcement campaign is to create a business environment where legal online music services can flourish," said Cary Sherman, president of the RIAA. "If these efforts have already sparked additional interest in legitimate download sites like BuyMusic.com, then that is great news."

Developed for the 150 million PC users in the United States, BuyMusic.com offers access to more than 308,000 tracks, with more to be added daily. Individual songs sell from 79 cents and albums from $7.95.

We support the music industry and the RIAA as they work to educate music fans about the very real issue of copyright infringement, and as they take strong steps to combat illegal downloading and sharing of copyrighted files," said Elizabeth Brooks, senior vice president of business development for BuyMusic.com.
"BuyMusic.com is addressing the issue as well, offering fans an incentive to take the high road and purchase their favorite songs in a secure and responsible way. We are thrilled that so many people are coming to our service, purchasing and enjoying music, and believe that we will see continued growth and happy customers as online music users turn to legal options."