The number of people illegally downloading music is increasing, according to a report by Entertainment Media Research.

In its fourth annual Digital Music Survey, the music research consultancy found that just under half of the 1,700 people it questioned were illegally downloading music tracks.

This was a third more that 2006 and 40 per cent more than in 2005. Legal downloading was also found to be in decline. According to the research, it fell from 40 per cent in 2006 to 15 per cent this year.

Young people were found to be the worst culprits with one in five 18 to 24 year-olds admitting to illegally downloading music, compared to just over a tenth of those aged between 25 and 34. Men were also found to be the most dishonest with just under half admitting to illegally downloading music as opposed to 40 per cent of women.

The research also highlighted the fact illegal downloading was set to increase after nearly one in five respondents claimed they would continue to download unauthorised tracks, despite the threat of prosecution.

The price of legal downloads was cited by Entertainment Media Research as the key factor for this after 84 per cent of those questioned said that older digital downloads should be cheaper to buy than new releases.

It urged the industry to make “legal buying easier and cheaper”, to stop the increase in this crime.

John Enser, head of music at law firm Olswang, agreed. He said: "As illegal downloading hits an all-time high and consumers' fear of prosecution falls, the music industry must look for more ways to encourage the public to download music legally."

However, music industry association the BPI disagreed with the research claiming that both legal and illegal downloads had risen within the past year as a result of a 25 per cent growth in broadband penetration.

A spokesman for the BPI told Computeractive: “The download industry has grown from being 100 per cent illegal to 25 per cent legal since it began.

“Although we are aware illegal music downloads are growing it is also encouraging to see that there are people out there who are driving the growth of legal downloads.”

He called for better protection against piracy and copyright from internet service providers, which it said must act as “gatekeepers”, and the Government, which should take on the role of “legislators” to tackle copyright theft in the UK.

“Consumers must also understand that by downloading songs free they are denying an artist of money and rights which could cause the industry to collapse,” he added.