| i do alot of mp3 filesharing. not nearly as much as many people i know, but i've accumulated a few gigabytes of MP3s. i use MP3s as a way to preview albums - the kind of music i like generally doesn't get much radio play, and as you said, i don't want to pay 18.99 for a single to find out the rest of the album is fluff. however, i have never downloaded an album, liked it, and then not purchased it. i remember the very first album i ever burned (shamefully) was a finger eleven album. a year and a half later, i bought the album. i had long since lost any respect for the band, but i felt that since i did at one point greatly enjoy the album, i "owed" them.
since being able to download mp3s, my cd library has greatly increased. now i am able to preview music friends recommend without throwing money away. i am a legitimate music buyer, and i've spent well over $1000 on music, not to mention how much i've spent on merchandise and shows, which the band profits from on a much larger scale. however, because i have alot of mp3s, this could very well affect me. which will also affect my ability to preview and ultimately purchase music. this could easily screw over the legitimate music fan. |