According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry representing the recording industry worldwide with over 1450 members in 75 countries, one in three music discs sold worldwide is an illegal copy, creating a $4.6 billion pirated music market that destroys jobs, kills investment and funds organized crime.

A total of 1.2 billion pirated music discs were sold in 2004–34 percent of all discs sold worldwide. But growth in disc piracy has slipped to its lowest level in five years, partly due to stepped up enforcement efforts. Sales of pirated music exceed the legitimate market in a record 31 countries in 2004 - including, for the first time, Chile, Czech Republic, Greece, India and Turkey.

Spain is one of ten top priority countries named by the IFPI Commercial Piracy Report 2005 report, where piracy levels are at unacceptable levels. The ten countries are (not in ranking order)—Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Paraguay, Russia, Spain and Ukraine.

According to the report fighting piracy of physical formats, largely discs produced in vast quantities either in high-speed burning laboratories or in traditional CD plants are as great a priority because of the importance of the Internet to the music business.

IFPI for the first time has listed India with 56 percent piracy in the priority countries list, due to the sharp rise in CD-R piracy and the availability of mp3 filed online. Corruption and very slow court processes hamper prosecution of the pirates. Disc regulation and fast track courts for IPR infringement are urgently needed. Pakistan with 59 percent piracy rate is one of the world’s biggest exporters of pirated discs.