Websites dedicated to “stream ripping” music from YouTube represent the biggest threat to the global music business, industry figures have warned, as a major crackdown seeks to address it.

Sites that allow YouTube videos to be converted into an MP3 file and illegally downloaded to someone’s phone or computer are attracting millions of visitors, with estimates suggesting that a third of 16-24-year-olds in the UK have ripped music from the Google-owned platform.

Other platforms affected by the illegal ripping sites include DailyMotion, SoundCloud and Vimeo, however YouTube is by far the most pirated.

The results of a crackdown that began in 2016 are beginning to be seen, thanks to a coordinated effort by organisations representing record companies in the US and the UK.

Earlier this week, stream ripping website MP3Fiber was forced to shut down following legal pressure.

However, dozens of sites offering similar services still remain active and are easily accessible through Google, whose search engine provides more than 100 million results for the term “YouTube MP3 converter”. YouTube is even host to videos that explain exactly how to do it, some of which have amassed tens of thousands of views over several years.

11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Show all 11 1 /11 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Play in the background One of the YouTube app’s most frustrating shortcomings is the inability to play music videos in the background or when you’re phone’s locked. There is a way around this, but only on iOS. Open the YouTube website in Safari, play a video and then press your iPhone’s home button. After that, launch the Control Centre by sliding up from the bottom of the screen and tap play. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Loop videos YouTube’s looping option on desktop is really useful, but nowhere near as easy to find as it should be. To loop a video, right-click it while it’s playing and select Loop. Even if you have Autoplay enabled, your video will replay itself as soon as it finishes. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Enable Dark Theme YouTube recently introduced a black-and-red Dark Theme on the desktop, which is much easier on your eyes than the regular version of the site. Enable it by clicking the account symbol, selecting Dark Theme and turning Activate Dark Theme on. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Simplify YouTube Another alternative YouTube user interface is available to access at youtube.com/tv. It’s a really simple, no-frills UI that’s incredibly easy to navigate. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Try out new features You can test upcoming and experimental features early by signing up to YouTube TestTube. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Read When you want to watch a YouTube video but don’t have your headphones and don’t want to disturb anyone around you, turn on Captions. They’re also really handy if you’re trying to watch a video in a foreign language. Transcriptions, meanwhile, break down exactly when certain things take place, so you can skip to the part you want to watch accurately and easily. In the More tab under the video title, launch the dropdown menu and select Transcript. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Use shortcuts You can lean back in your seat and control YouTube videos with your keyboard if you want to. J and L let you rewind and fast-forward 10 seconds, K is pause/play, M is mute/unmute and the 0-9 keys let you jump through various stages of the video, from 0 per cent to 90 per cent. On the app, you can fast forward or rewind 10 seconds by double-tapping the right or left side of a video. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Limit data use If you’re on a limited mobile data plan, there are easy ways to save yourself some money. In Settings on the YouTube app, hit General and enable Limit Mobile Data Usage and disable Autoplay. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Keep things private Unless you make them private, other people can see your Liked videos, your saved playlists and subscriptions. If you want to hide them, go to Settings and Privacy. You can also clear or pause your History. On either desktop or the mobile app, go to History and select Clear All Watch History or Pause Watch History. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Make sharing clearer Sometimes you want to share a video with a friend, but want them to watch a specific part, rather than the whole thing. Instead of sending the timestamp through as a separate message, make the video automatically play from the right place. Just pause it at the right moment, click the Share button, tick the Start At box and copy the URL. 11 YouTube features you didn't know existed Get nerdy Stats for Nerds shows you technical data for YouTube videos, including video format, audio format and bandwidth. On desktop, you can find the info simply by right-clicking the video player and selecting Stats for Nerds. On mobile, you have to enable it first in General Settings. Once that’s done, open a video, hit the menu button in the top-right corner and tap the Stats for Nerds option.

The illegal sites are able to monetise their popularity through online adverts, making millions in revenue that rightfully belongs to the content creators and copyright holders. Such widespread use makes these stream ripping sites a bigger threat to copyright holders and the music industry generally than illegal torrent sites like The Pirate Bay. Beyond the stream ripping websites are apps that offer a similar service, such as the Videoder app, which has over 40 million users worldwide.

The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), the UK record industry’s trade association, is among those attempting to clear these illegal sites from the internet and encourage the use of legal music streaming sites.

“Although coordinated action by the record industry is delivering results, with major platforms like YouTube-mp3 closed down, we must continue to act against illegal sites that build huge fortunes by ripping off artists and labels,” Geoff Taylor, the chief executive of the BPI and Brit Awards, told The Independent.

Mr Taylor said the “fantastic range” of legal streaming services, such as Spotify and Apple Music, could be under threat if the issue of stream ripping sites is not properly dealt with. The best way to do this, he said, is through a coordinated crackdown.

“We hope that responsible advertisers, search engines and hosting providers will also reflect on the ethics of supporting sites that enrich themselves by defrauding creators,” he said.

But chasing down and shutting down such sites is not a simple issue, with some digital rights groups arguing that they provide a legitimate service, even if they are misused by some people.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) claims that even referring to them as “stream ripping” sites is misstating copyright law.

“There exists a vast and growing volume of online video that is licensed for free downloading and modification, or contains audio tracks that are not subject to copyright,” the EFF told the US Office of the United States Trade Representative last year.

“Moreover, many audio extractions qualify as non-infringing fair uses under copyright. Providing a service that is capable of extracting audio tracks for these lawful purposes is itself lawful, even if some users infringe.”

Illegal YouTube download services have continued to blight the platform despite it introducing the feature to premium subscribers (Reuters) (REUTERS)

For its part, YouTube says it has “invested heavily” in copyright and content management tools, such as Content ID – a technology that provides rights holders with ways to manage and monetise their content.

The Google-owned platform’s terms of service state that users are forbidden from accessing content on YouTube through third parties, while disabling features that prevent the copying of content is also not allowed.

A YouTube spokesperson reiterated this to The Independent and said it is working to prevent such practices from taking place.