Flame-haired singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has revealed that he isn’t too bothered about illegal downloading and piracy, because he’s managed to find a balance between people paying for his albums and people stealing it - despite his chart-topping debut album ‘+’ becoming the UK’s most pirated record of 2012.
The superstar, who’s gone from YouTube fame to global phenomenon in the past couple of years, has seen his record ‘+’ go 4x platinum in the UK, selling over 3 million copies worldwide. But, despite those stats, it’s also the year’s most illegally downloaded LP, and averages about 55,500 illegal downloads a month.
But Sheeran isn’t too bothered about the pirates and what effects they may have on him, as he’s managed to find the perfect balance between people buying it and people stealing it - with a little bit of help from his ticket revenue.
“There's a decent balance between - you can live off your sales and you can allow people to illegally download it and come to your gigs,” Sheeran told The BBC. “My gig tickets are £18 and my album is £8, so it's all relative.”
Rihanna and Frank Ocean’s albums ‘Talk That Talk’ and ‘Channel Orange’ follow ‘+’ on the illegal download charts but its probably fair to say they aren’t as unfazed about the accolade as Ed is. Alt-rock outfit Keane are pretty unhappy about piracy themselves, describing the act as ‘immoral’.
What do you think of Sheeran’s comments? Let us know in the comments section below.
If you’re a fan of Ed Sheeran, you can catch him at one of his countless UK tour dates he has scheduled for 2012 and 2013. Check the dates and links below to find tickets through Stereoboard.
Sat October 13th 2012 - Hammersmith Apollo, London
Sun October 14th 2012 - Hammersmith Apollo, London
Mon October 15th 2012 - Hammersmith Apollo, London
Tue October 16th 2012 - Hammersmith Apollo, London
Wed October 17th 2012 - Hammersmith Apollo, London
Fri October 19th 2012 - The Brighton Centre, Brighton
Sat October 20th 2012 - Newport Centre, Newport
Sun October 21st 2012 - Bournemouth International Centre and Pavilion, Bournemouth
Mon October 22nd 2012 - Plymouth Pavilions, Plymouth
Wed October 24th 2012 - Oasis Leisure Centre Swindon, Swindon
Fri October 26th 2012 - Rivermead Reading, Reading
Sat October 27th 2012 - Birmingham Ballroom, Birmingham
Sun October 28th 2012 - Birmingham Ballroom, Birmingham
Mon October 29th 2012 - Birmingham Ballroom, Birmingham
Wed October 31st 2012 - Capital FM Arena Nottingham, Nottingham
Thu November 1st 2012 - O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester
Fri November 2nd 2012 - O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester
Sat November 3rd 2012 - O2 Apollo Manchester, Manchester
Mon November 5th 2012 - Doncaster Dome, Doncaster
Tue November 6th 2012 - Doncaster Dome, Doncaster
Wed November 7th 2012 - Hull Arena, Hull
Thu November 8th 2012 - Empress Ballroom, Blackpool
Sat November 10th 2012 - Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle
Sun November 11th 2012 - Newcastle City Hall, Newcastle
Mon November 12th 2012 - Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Wed November 14th 2012 - Barrowland, Glasgow
Thu November 15th 2012 - Barrowland, Glasgow
Fri November 16th 2012 - Barrowland, Glasgow
Wed January 9th 2013 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Thu January 10th 2013 - Odyssey Arena, Belfast
Fri January 11th 2013 - The O2 Dublin, Dublin
Sat January 12th 2013 - The O2 Dublin, Dublin
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