[thebends]

To me its straight forward; Always support the artist by purchasing their product. Once you have done this two key transactions occur a. the artist is compensated for their investment and therefore it promotes sustainability and continued output, and b. you have legal ownership of the product (i.e. personal peace of mind). The dilemma is that while most of us in this forum believe in this fundamental concept (I would like to think ...), there is a temptation with current technology to "sneak peak". If this is the case then it may not really matter in which order you exercise your choice, as long as the dilemma is balanced. Your mileage may vary.