Are music file swappers fleeing their computers in fear of getting slapped with RIAA lawsuits? That appears to be the case, according to a recent survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The numbers (PDF), released in conjunction with comScore Media Metrix, show that the amount of music file swappers has dropped dramatically since the Recording Industry Association of America began issuing subpoenas against individual file swappers in July 2003.

Tonight on "Tech Live," we'll break down the numbers and find out if the legal efforts are really working.

File swappers' cold feet

According to the survey, the number of people who say they download music fell from 29 percent in the spring of 2003 to 14 percent in the period from mid-November to mid-December 2003, when Pew surveyed 1,358 Internet users by phone.

That represents nearly a cut in half in the number of users downloading music -- the number dipped from about 35 million to 18 million in the months after the RIAA ramped up its legal efforts to stop people from uploading music to peer-to-peer services like KaZaA.

Furthermore, data released by comScore Media Metrix shows usage of those popular P2P services has declined significantly as well. KaZaA use is down 15 percent, BearShare use is down 9 percent, and use of Grokster is down 59 percent.

ComScore's numbers also show that users are flocking to legitimate, paid music services including Napster and Apple's iTunes Music Store. In November, some 3.2 million users visited Napster.com, and Apple's iTunes attracted 2.7 million visitors. Last month, Apple announced that 25 million songs had been downloaded from its music store since launching in early 2003. Napster hasn't released numbers.

The numbers mark a dramatic turn for the music industry, and RIAA officials were quick to acknowledge the lawsuits' success.

"This is another encouraging indication that we are on the right track and that our anti-piracy efforts have had an impact. We must continue on this course," said RIAA Chairman and CEO Mitch Bainwol. "It is essential to fostering an environment where legal online music services can flourish."

Numbers don't lie

Furthermore, according to the Pew study, 20 percent of Internet users say they share files including music, video, images, or games with others online. That's down from 28 percent of users in a June 2003 study.

While encouraging for the RIAA, even Pew admits that Net users may just be shy about admitting to illegal activity. Either way, the numbers show that the suits themselves are working, or that the reaction to the media attention around the suits is lessening the desire to download music from P2P services.

However, the Pew report also says that "every nook of the music downloading world has been affected." Students, broadband users, and young adults all said they're downloading fewer files today than they were before the RIAA began its legal efforts against swapping.