I just read through the IFPI's Digital Music Report 2008 (download the PDF here, read press release here) The theme of the report is the duty of the ISP to help curb online piracy. In the introduction, Chairman and CEO John Kennedy wrote of a change in the actions of ISPs and governments. He singled out the efforts of French president Nicolas Sarkozy and his plan to curb casual piracy.

"Today, however, a sea-change is happening. The whole music sector, governments and even some ISPs themselves are beginning to accept that the carriers of digital content must play a responsible role in curbing the systemic piracy that is threatening the future of all digital commerce. After years of discussing and debating, I am convinced it is no longer a question of whether the ISPs act – the question is when and how."

A few bullet points from the report (all global 2007 data)

• Digital represented 15% of global recorded music sales
• Mobile subscriptions rose 11%
• Legal track downloads rose 53%
• Digital recorded music revenues rose 40% to $2.9 billion

If you have the time to thumb through the report, check out the uninspiring commentary on ad-supported services on page 15, the section on direct-to-consumer sales on page 16 and the section on ISP responsibility that starts on page 21.