Lewinski+Press+Release

Contact: Paul Meirs – Proximity – 1-443-555-5555
 * For Immediate Release**

95 Percent of all Downloaded Music is Pirated //Proximity to Present Music Sales Trends at 2010 Music Retail Conference//
 * Baltimore City, MD – January 14, 2010** – Proximity, a Gen Y on-demand media strategy group, announced today that Derek Lewinski, Associate Media Analyst at Proximity, will be presenting at the 2010 Music Retail Conference on Friday, January 15, 2010 in New York, NY. The topic, “Internet- Making the Pirate Life Safe for Everyone”, will be presented in conjunction with Jeff Stowsky, Proximity Associate Media Analyst. As peer to peer sharing grows in popularity, the music industry is finding it hard to keep sales up. We will discuss what piracy has done to the music industry and ways for them to keep their profits up.

Over the last few years, monumental changes have occurred in the way consumers obtain their music. The following are a few significant ways in which album sales have been affected.

· The average teenager’s iPod has about $800 of pirated music on it · On average every iPod or digital music player contained 842 illegally copied songs. · Illegal copying in some form is undertaken by 96 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed, falling to 89 per cent of those aged 14-17. · In America alone, it is estimated that 50 million users, or a little over 1/3 of America's internet surfers, use some form of P2P network. · Album sales hit what is now likely to be an all-time high of 785.1 million units in 2000; 2008’s sales represent just 54.6 percent of that total.

While many file sharing sites have been shut down through legal actions the fight goes on. According to Andrey Mikhayilyuk, editor-in-chief of Zhelezo computer magazine “The Piratebay.org trial will set a precedent and many file-sharing sites will be shut down, but it is impossible to stop sharing on the Internet.”


 * About Proximity**

Proximity is a Gen Y on-demand media strategy group. Its analysts know how to connect with their generation using campaigns designed for the new media landscape. Because it is associated with Towson University, Proximity has immediate access to a large student population and the expertise of faculty who specialize in marketing and media research.

Proximity offers its clients a full range of services for developing and executing customized campaigns that can reach any segment of Gen Y. It regularly conducts on-line surveys and focus group sessions to keep marketers up to date on the social trends and emerging technologies that determine how this cohort communicates and what it purchases. Visit Proximit's blog at [] to read more about its take on the social media revolution.