I have been 'downloading' music for 20 years. I used to 'download' tracks from vinyl to cassette via a friend's stereo system. If I liked it enough, I would go and buy it. No-one ever thought this was a big problem, although you would sometimes hear record industry executives bleating on about wanting the price of blank tapes to go up to discourage it.
When Napster was around we experimented a bit with it, got a couple of CDs (only had dial-up then, so it was extremely laborious), and the ones we liked, we bought. Coldplay have Napster to thank for us buying a copy of 'Parachutes'. Although the CD is now on the shelf downstairs, the copy on my Mac is still the one I got from Napster!
I have no problems with the 'try before you buy' concept. I tend not to bother with p2p now mainly because Macs are far less well supported (Napster was great for Mac, none of the others currently supporting Mac come close IMO), but also because there are a large number of warez monkeys using p2p and hiding behind thin excuses to justify it, and I don't really want to be associated with that.
Sadly, the record companies are trying to solve a modern problem with the attitudes of the last century and instead of working with technology to benefit everyone they have been panicking and trying to stamp it out. Goodness only knows why they think they can beat the internet.
Apple's iTunes Music Store is a rare exception to this - I love being able to preview tracks and watch vids through the application interface without even having to go to a web page. The only drawback is they won't let me buy tracks from it yet as I don't have a US billing address, but that will change soon ... they are making a mint and are sure to want to expand it. You poor impoverished Windows users will be able to get iTunes later this year as well, and see what you've been missing out on....