Wrecka stores obviously have more of a vested interest in people buying records, but again I don't think they are really appealing to the mainstream buyer who would have otherwise downloaded mp3s.

How many actual "mainstream" record stores still exist? Not counting the likes of Best Buy who were already selling CDs as loss leaders for years?

In *my* experience at least, most record stores appeal again to the vinyl freaks who are more than likely buying older records, not new stuff. So the notion that stores are operating on the model of "buy records or there will be no more music produced."

They are definitely begging people to support their local record stores, but in that case they are not losing their clientele to illegal downloading.... They're losing it to eBay, GEMM, CDandLP.com, DustyGroove USA, etc.

In other words: you are talking a bunch of horseshit.