I download lots of music. I sample tunes from throughout the world, indie stuff, mainstream, Recommendations of friends, etc. The vast majority gets pitched in the trashcan, those I do like I go to their concerts, buy the t shirts, and buy their album.

One thing I will never do is buy a cd from those under the umbrella of the RIAA.

Just the highlights of the RIAA's practices involve price-fixing, blaming its poor financial state on unfounded digital piracy claims (and in turn, blaming and suing its own consumers), lobbying for changes that hinder technological innovation and change copyright laws, underpaying the artists it represents, invading personal privacy to enforce copyrights, and dismantling entire computer networks just because of their ability (of their users) to share copyrighted files.

So, how do I know if an artist is RIAA involved? I go Here. Also check out their top 100 for some bands you'll like and have probably never heard of.