if an artist wants to distribute their music for free, then no one--and i mean no one--is ever going to stop them. the problem is that a lot of people spend a ton of money to get the gear they need to make music, then put a ton of hours into making that music, and a sh*tload of elbow grease into getting that music out.

i don't mind if someone has a few illegal downloads for personal consumption (i am definately talking about limited numbers here), but playing them out and making money from them...well...that's just robbery to me...