If people aren’t making a profit, or transmitting good quality audio, it’s free advertising for the real piece of music – like a tribute band you see at a local pub that gets you into eg Led Zep or some other proper band. I listen to a lot of partial tracks, or even whole albums, on CDs from the library – then buy a copy if I like it – even though I am capable in practical terms of copying the CD digitally.

For heaven’s sake, I spend thousands a year on genuine CDs and DVDs I could illegally copy for a few pence – often after hearing an artist on a technically illegal web radio station or (poor bit-rate) mp3 dowload – and I suspect most other people that do this also buy genuine copies, once they have heard and discarded the dross and poor tracks that seem to pack some artist#s albums – naming no names….