According to a report from the NPD Group, nearly nine percent of U.S. Internet users (est.16 million people) used peer-to-peer P2P file-sharing services to download music in Q4 2010. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, two years earlier, released a report claiming that 95% percent of all music downloads were illegal: 40 billion+ songs to be exact.

What does that tell us? Besides solidifying the fact that people love downloading free music, it exemplifies that P2P has become heavily engrained into the fabric of the Internet. But as we've seen in the past weeks, the Feds are cracking down on digital lockers that allow media sharing, shutting down Megaupload a few days ago and targeting other sites. However, this isn't the first time downloaders have witnessed their favorite file-sharing portals bite the dust. Relive the glory days of pirating music and porn flicks by reading up on A History of P2P Sites Being Shut Down.

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