A Knowable Difference

My roommate downloads hundreds of MP3s onto his computer throughout each year. He knows about copyright laws, and he knows that artists don't get paid when he downloads their MP3s for free. And yet he still does it without shame or guilt. There are thousands of other individuals who do the same thing: they download music they never paid for. The difference between my roommate and most others is that he uses these MP3s to know which bands he should buy music from. After listening to a few MP3s from a CD my roommate knows whether or not he wants that CD, whereas before he didn't even know what that band sounded like. There is a knowable difference between someone who downloads all the MP3s they can get their hands on, and someone who uses MP3 sharing as a way to know whether or not they want to buy a CD. Those who download to know which CD to buy are supporting the industry, while those who download without ever paying are hurting it.