The British music industry is said to have made its first settlements with British online music file swappers.
Published reports indicate that 23 British Netizens have agreed to pay an average of about $3,800 each, with one who pirated a reported nine thousand songs paying almost twice that figure.
"We have no desire to drag people through the courts,” said British Phonographic Industry representative Geoff Taylor, “so we have attempted to reach fair settlements where we can."
The music swappers who went for the deals included seventeen men and six women between ages 22 and 58, with three others refusing to settle and preferring to battle in court.
The British music industry claims sales of single records have fallen since 1989 while album sales have continued to rise, but the reports said the British music business fears albums sales will drop soon enough with the continuing rise of online music trading.
