[Mrluvaluva]

Originally Posted by thebeast

Yeah I like to get a bargain but sometimes when albulms are new released at a tenner.. some people rather download illegally from the net if they want it on their ipod. Spending a tenner on cds quite frequently.. well some people cannot afford that!

It's very rare I ever pay full price for a CD. I usually wait until it's on offer. Shops and websites have promotions on all the time. I don't have to have it on the day it comes out, but then again, if I was 16 I most probably would NEED it there and then.

The ability to illegally download stuff has it's pros and cons. The record industry both gain and lose with it. As was said above, you have greater exposure on the web, now more than ever before, to music, and it is readily accessible. That can introduce you to stuff you may not normally hear on radio/TV etc. So it can in fact generate more sales.

A lot of newer artists put their stuff out there, and make it accessible to the public, simply to get themselves heard, whereas as some of the more major artists don't really care as it does not affect them directly. Take Radiohead as an example. They gave their fans the choice to pay what they wanted for "In Rainbows". Mainly because they aren't tied to a record label, but also they know it will get them wider exposure, and most probably attract a wider crowd to their live shows.

There will never be a solution to this debate, as it has both it's good points, and it's bad. It's up to the individual to decide. Record companies will never get round this problem, and as Shasown said above, they should be careful as they could be cutting their nose of to spite their face.