I download music but I still by albums of certain artists. Its a catch 22 situation for downloading music.
As an up and coming artist I couldn't care less who downloads my music. Its all exposure at the end of the day. And artist can't complain the introduction of peer to peer networks have gained them more exposure. However, when your an established artist, thousands of people downloading your music is gonna hurt your sales and income.
If I'm going to part with my ₤12.99 then I want to make sure that I'm getting quality music for my money. So many times in the past I have bought albums and have bben so dissappointed with the content. It had been such a waste of money. Downloading lets you preview what the album is like, and I like what I hear then I go out and buy the record. if not, I delete the files and don't buy the record. Simple as.
I think its pointless people arguing about people not downloading tracks. At the ened of the day, millions of people do it whether you like to admit it or not and its not gonna change. People are gonna keep doing it. And what if there's a track you want that is only on an album? Are you really gonna pay full price for an album just to get that one track?