I am having trouble understanding this concept - I know of nobody..yes NOBODY.. who downloads mp3's for any reason other than to get a quick sample of a new artist/album as a preview before buying. I do this occasionally when someone recommends an album I don't know; I have a quick listen and if more than half the songs are good I get the album from a shop (or amazon.) If one is good, I try and find it on single. After that I ditch the mp3 file and rip my own from CD, single, LP or sometimes tape.
That's what my friends and colleagues do. I thought it was pretty standard.

Am I just being too middle class about this??