Will the record companies ever learn?
While some artists and record labels are sabotaging peer-to-peer networks with inaccurately labeled MP3 files and releasing CDs that can’t be ripped without much trouble, others are very much in favor of the free distribution of their music.
So, go download some popular singles from such groups as The Strokes, The Hives, The White Stripes and Badly Drawn Boy— and show the record companies that free publicity is not a bad thing.