The number of song downloads at authorised music websites tripled among US Internet users in the first six months of 2005, compared with the same period a year ago.
The number of legal single downloads now represent 6% of overall music sales, compared with less than 2% a year ago, according to the survey released Thursday by Nielsen SoundScan.
US Internet users downloaded 159 million individual songs over the period, compared with 55 million in the same period in 2004.
The survey confirmed that Internet users are moving away from piracy on peer-to-peer networks and gravitating toward pay-per-download sites like Apple's iTunes.
However, the survey also showed that overall industry music sales are down 2.5% this year, amid a steep decline in album sales.
