Perhaps the solution is to do all those things anyway. You could try to shut down the distributor of the software (which does bypass DRM, making it illegal under DMCA), but then 10 more programs pop up in it’s place. Google could update their website so the software doesn’t work, though it would likely only take a day or two for someone to come out with updated software that bypasses whatever fix they attempted to make. The trick is to make piracy inconvenient compared to paying for music, and unfortunately, stream ripping appears to be pretty damn convenient. I feel like, as long as the internet exists, piracy will exist along with it. Statista finished their analysis of IFPI’s study, saying, In fact, stream ripping provides users with a cleaner way to pirate, albeit still illegally.

“ However, now that a lot of music is available on YouTube or similar platforms, all it takes is a small tool to rip and save the song you are looking for.” So, why has stream ripping has become the most popular method of acquiring music illegally? Thanks to small tools made freely available. More people use YouTube to consume music they already know than to discover new content.”

How do listeners prefer to stream rip? While not naming the service outright, right before showing stream ripping stats, the IFPI noted, “YouTube is the most used music service: 82 per cent of all YouTube visitors use it for music. Downloading among both age groups, however, fell to 23% and 16%, respectively. Men also preferred using other means of piracy to access their tunes.

In terms of sex, more men actively stream ripped their favorite music than women, 35% to slightly over 20%.

How to access spotify audio birth chart