music piracy and legal streaming: go hand in hand?: A qualitative study of the media biographies Spotify users

Music streaming services such as Spotify are playing an increasingly important role in the German music market as their economic significance grows. A decline in music piracy was already observed in 2013, but it remains a topical and important issue as it continues to cause damage to the music industry. The music industry's hopes for further reducing the number of illegal downloads rest on these streaming services. They are intended to help reduce music piracy by providing an improved legal alternative. To gain an understanding of the reasons behind the varying behaviours of Spotify users, twelve narrative interviews were conducted as part of this study. Within this framework, the users' media biographies were examined in relation to their respective histories of music acquisition. The results of the study show that music streaming services such as Spotify must continue to evolve in the future so as not to lose their legal consumers. The CD is no longer considered up to date, and users do not want to be restricted in any way in the diversity of their consumption.