Go one better Mick. Forget the record industry - I have funded all 5 of my albums 100%, recording the first 4 using my own kit that I bought for $1800, and paying for studio and artists for the fifth out of my own pocket. I also paid for the artwork design (when I did not do it myself), the creation of a master and the manufacturing. Ah, yes, for the advertising too.

Now, I don't have unlimited funds, neither do I expect to make money out if all - breaking even would be a dream.

Therefore, to have my tracks appear for free downloading without my permission and then to hear woolly arguments about the rights and wrongs of the record industry is an insult to my one-man "cottage industry". And no excuses about buying an album only to find that it is crap. You should have listened to a few tracks first, most record stores let you do that. You cannot compare downloads to a trial listening - why? Because you can KEEP downloads, obviating the need for a purchase!