Port Washington, N.Y. - While most kids (70%) ages 9-14 say they are now downloading music each month, after Apple's (NASD: AAPL)iTunes Store (49%), the most popular source for music downloads was the Limewire free file-sharing network (26%), according to a recent survey conducted by market research firm NPD Group. "It's encouraging that so many young consumers are acquiring digital music the legal way -- by paying for it," said NPD VP and analyst Russ Crupnick.

"On the other hand, it's surprising how unsupervised they are. The music industry hoped that litigation and education might encourage parents to keep better tabs on their kids' digital music activities, but the truth is many kids continue to share music via P2P."

The survey found that two-thirds of tweens who use the Internet do so without adult supervision, and 59% say they download music without any assistance.

"Findings in this report suggest that the industry can still do more to promote specific ways children can obtain digital music legally, through pre-paid accounts and gift cards," Crupnick added.

"Another potential way to reach kids is through industry-sanctioned ad-supported Web destinations where kids can obtain digital music safely and legally."

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http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_080130b.html