Stream Ripping Carries On Despite YouTube-MP3's Demise

The world of stream ripping took a big hit this week with the shuttering of one of its leading purveyors of piracy, YouTube-mp3.org, but that doesn't mean the practice of converting MP3s from YouTube (and other services) is going anywhere. According to MusicWatch, YTMP3 was actually the second most popular such site, behind YouTube Downloader. Other sites that survey respondents said they had used recently include the obvious-sounding Free YouTube to MP3 Converter, MP3 Video Converter and Video2mp3.

A study conducted last year by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry found that 30 percent of internet users in leading music markets obtained unauthorized copies of music using a stream ripping service. In the U.K., stream ripping is now the largest form of music piracy, according to new research from the British Intellectual Property Office and PRS for Music.

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