Exactly. I've said this before... there's just too much crap out there to buy blind. If someone enjoys the excitement of not knowing what they're getting when they buy a CD, all the power to them. However, I'm not dropping $15 on something I'll never listen to a second time, and end up trading in for pennies on the dollar.
I've previewed roughly 200 CDs this year, of which I've purchased 62. Had I purchased all those CDs blind, I'd be out a bit over $2,000. $2,000 on CDs I'd never listen to again. However, more importantly, had I not had an opportunity to preview CDs, I probably would have only purchased 10-20 CDs this year. Why? Since there's a 75% chance I'm not going to like something that's been recommended to me, why waste my money?
Additionally, since I go to more shows (because I'm aware of more bands) I buy more tickets and t-shirts than I would have otherwise. The record industry/bands have received way more money from me than they would have without me being able to preview CDs.
Zod