While the music industry as a whole may not be out of the woods just yet, they should be encourage by results of a survey of 1,000 fans that show young people are moving away from illegal downloading in favor of music streaming sites like YouTube and Spotify. A trend that supports the rise of these platforms that use some of combination of subscription and/or advertising model to generate revenues, while maintaining control on content.

These websites further benefit the industry by providing more data on their customers and therefore, greater insight into their tastes and listening habits. And while music sales have yet to return to their former heights, the streaming model presents a direct way to reach out to consumers with alternative retail opportunities: concert tickets, apparel and other branded merchandise.

The Guardian shares some of the statistics gathered from the study:

[L]ess than a third of teenagers are now illegally downloading music, the survey suggests. In January this year 26% of 14 to 18 year olds admitted filesharing at least once a month compared with 42% in December 2007.

The research revealed that many teenagers (65%) are streaming music regularly, with more 14 to 18 year olds (31%) listening to streamed music on their computer every day compared with music fans overall (18%).

Although this is by no means an indication that piracy is a thing of the past, if companies continue to enhance their websites with additional features: improved searches, better access and a wider community of listeners - they can continue to gain back audience share.