So, illegal downloads don't hurt anyone, eh?

I posted this on the Avian forum; here's a repost for those of you who don't know:

Largely due to the fact that illegal downloads have greatly reduced artists' demands for his services, our graphic artist, Mattias Noren, is forced to shut down his business. This is a truly sad day for music and art when a creative genious such as Mattias can no longer afford to continue with his craft. Having a family to support, Mattias must now get a steady paying job that would no longer allow him the time to create such amazing works of art as he did with Avian's CDS, From The Depths of Time, and Ashes And Madness.

I myself am guilty of downloading illegally on occasion so it would be hypocritical of me to attack those of you that do it. However, I ALWAYS purchase the cd's that I enjoy and listen to on a regular basis. When I download something and I don't like it, of course I wouldn't buy it, but if I do enjoy listening to it, I purchase it. I think that if most people would do that, it would help the struggling artists continue to bring wonderful music and art into our world.

Otherwise, before long, the only "artists" out there would be the corporate machine made drones that just recycle the same old crap over and over again thus throwing us into a decaying age of art.

Here's the full article:
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=85347