Do you buy music which can be found for free?

Yes. I also have a strange habit of buying things which could be stolen for free.

^ In such a case I usually download the music just to hear it, and if it's good, I try to find it on vinyl or CD.

Of course. I but CD's whenever possible, (aka when I have money)
However I used to download a lot. Most places suck now though, there just isn't much music available.

I always did buy though, and I want to eventually own every album I have downloaded (some are just too obscure to get anymore though)

I like to test drive music. My bank account regularly gets raped to purchase music I would probably never hear otherwise if not for "free" downloads. I fully support artists whose music I enjoy.

In fact, you should explain what do you mean by "free".
Are you talking about the two or three songs that some labels or bands offer on their sites?
Or are you talking about free albums, later available on CD?
Or are you talking about the "not-so-legal-and-maybe-illegal-free-music"?

I only download samples (full songs or excerpts) from the official sites, but I confess having downloaded a few things on some MP3 blogs which I know being unavailable not only in France, but in the whole world (obscure compilation tapes, "lost" LP or 7'', that kind of stuff).

CPicard wrote: Or are you talking about free albums, later available on CD? Or are you talking about the "not-so-legal-and-maybe-illegal-free-music"?

I'm talking about these two options without hesitation, full albums available for free legally or not.

StyLaZyn wrote: JJLehto wrote: StyLaZyn wrote: I like to test drive music. My bank account regularly gets raped to purchase music I would probably never hear otherwise if not for "free" downloads. I fully support artists whose music I enjoy. Exactly! And I know what you mean about the raping....I have had no money the last few days. I now have $60....you;d think I'd save it for gas or food...but nope. Going out in a few mins actually to buy some CD's More seriously, I gotta tell ya, albums need lemon laws. I mean buying a CD for one or two songs even though you've never heard the others then you get the CD home and you are stunned when the rest of the CD sucks. Bah!

That's why free music can be great, don't you think? You can listen to the whole album and judge if you like it and will buy it then ;)

I used to download. I hardly do anymore, unless I know it will still benefit the artist, such as a place like  newgroovemusic.com

I download records and then if I like them a lot ( and are avilable in my country) I spend money on them.

I voted for the second last option, totally depends on the quality.

If I download an album and there's only one or two songs that I like, I'm going to keep those songs and not buy it. If the artist chooses to make crap music floated by a couple of flagship songs then he/she has got to pay the price, which is no financial support from me (I could go into a big rant on this but I won't).

However, I will buy music as often as I can if I feel that it's worth buying. In fact, that's what I'm doing now for the most part, purchasing albums that I downloaded in my less-scrupulous days. To me purchasing albums is really important; not only does it provide the artist with more income, but also every time I buy a prog album that is one more statistic rolling into the music industry's number crunchers saying that I like prog and that I want to hear more of it. It's a bit like voting, in that sense. We may be voting for some smallscale, independent party but we are voting nonetheless, and every creative album purchased says "Give artists more creative freedom!"

That being said, the collective opinions of proggers is little more than a drop in the bucket as far as the industry is concerned, and most things are going indie and online now anyway, which is only a good thing. Still, at least it's something

Of course, sometimes you're stuck. I downloaded both of Anglagard's albums because I'm not sure where I could purchase them - as far as I know they're out of print, and I'm not going on ebay and giving some middle-man an obscene profit which the band will never see. But when they do re-release their albums I will be the first in line, cash in hand. That is a band that needs to be supported.