Downloading Helps, Not Hurts, Album Sales?

A new survey conducted by a market research company suggests that people who illegally download music online are more likely to buy recorded music later. “The survey’s findings oppose the music industry’s long-standing argument that internet downloading is responsible for a slump in CD sales, with album sales falling 5% in the last year… Asked why they download music, the respondents were most likely to say it was ‘to check out music I’ve heard about but not listened to yet’ (75%) and ‘to help me decide whether to buy the CD’ (66%).” The recording industry has a survey of its own, and claims that 65% of respondents download music ‘because it’s free.’