I think this all comes down to personal morals mixed with practicalities.

I don't think anyone can stop P2P since it will evolve, both technically and legally, faster than it can be shut down, so asuming it's going to be here forever <sigh> like spam </sigh> it then becomes personal choice.

If you like a band/group/artist and their music then you must decide if you want to support them by paying for their music. If enough people do then they will continue to produce more. Otherwise, no more band.

However many people object to the enormous $ the music industry is making, and I think an opportunity has been missed. The artists could offer their music from their own website for a nominal fee (say $1 per CD). This would cut the money grabbing record companies out of equation, make the counterfeit CD market a non starter and increase the percentage of legitimate muisc in people's collections. And the artists would probably make as much cash as they do right now. Although music stores may become a thing of the past.

I own most of the music I listen to. The rest comes from broadcast media.

However, everyone should examine their own morals carefully. We had a poster asking for ways to make his shareware codes un-crackable. Is all their music legal? How many of the posters here have software on their personal machines which isn't licensed. How many refuse to condone practices in a commercial environment that they accept in a personal one.

I'm not trying to take any high moral ground here, because I'm as bad as most people for variable morals.

Just my 2c

Steve