I guess there is a line in there some place, probably has to do with how many "units" an artist would be expected to move. But forget that for a moment, what do you think of our modern day ability to sample just about any music? And by sample, I mean to check out before buying, not necessarily to download and keep in lieu of buying.

On the one hand, thousands of artists would never have been heard without this easy access. But it also somewhat dampens the excitement for new releases form my favorites. A case in point: I've been listening for the last few weeks to the new one from a big favorite, Richmond Fontaine The High Country, in lossy MP3, and loving it, and now I remember that this hit the store a couple days ago, and I could be spinning the vinyl or CD by now, instead of the MP3. But that easy access took away some of the excitement that would've been there in the old days.

So do you still get excited with a new release looming from your favorites? Do you avoid the pre-release listen, or still check out everything before buying? Can you really even tell much from a quick listen?