[the real stuff]

Maybe this is raising people's standards -- these days a CD has to be a little more worthy in the consumer's eye before he decides to buy it. Otherwise he could just download it for free off soulseek, right?

I've been exposed to a lot of artists through downloading mp3s -- Underworld included -- and for some of those artists I now own their entire back catalogue. These are some of my favorite bands now.

The process of discovering new music on the internet with no risk involved is (arguably) an improvement over what we might have done before, which is buying a CD in the store based on something you might have heard and ultimately not digging it much. There was a risk of not getting your money's worth. Downloading free music eliminates this risk.

Not saying that makes it right or wrong, just offering my thoughts.