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There are ethical and economical reasons for low to zero-cost mp3s.

1. The artist actually gets even more of a shit deal with digital distribution than they did with physical media. You are supporting the machine, not the musician.

2. The cost of developing a quality recording has plummeted dramatically, the only substantive cost remaining is the advertising. The exception might be for faux artists like Rihanna that hire top notch songwriters to pen hits, but for lesser known musicians, mp3 distribution has been shown in studies to have a positive impact.

3. mp3s can function as the advertising medium itself. The money can be made elsewhere like endorsements, or touring. Live music can never be "stolen".