The record industry, fresh from its legal victories against peer-to-peer networks, has now turned its sights on another method of obtaining music: homemade CDs.
Mitch Bainwol, CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America told the Associated Press before appearing at the National Association of Recording Merchandisers conference that "CD burning is a problem that is really undermining sales."
Previously, the RIAA had maintained that illicit downloading was the biggest problem affecting sales of legitimate music. However, the group has apparently had a change of heart after a recent NPD Group study showed that "burned CDs" accounted for 29 percent of music obtained by listeners in 2004.
Downloads from file-sharing networks accounted for 16 percent of all obtained music. Legal CDs accounted for about half, with online music store sales, such as Apple's iTunes, accounting for four percent.