@Mike: Yes, we're on Freegal. Five downloads per week per person (and since my wife doesn't use them, I get 10 downloads/week). Most of the material on the site is old, obscure material such as what we've been discussing, along with some independent music labels. However, Sony Music (which now includes such labels as Columbia/Epic, RCA, and Arista) has put their back catalogue there, so in effect I'm downloading an album a week, free of charge and legally. What's not to like?
@Matt: Definitely agree from the collector's standpoint, it's much better to have the physical product than the download (and better to get the original pressing on vinyl, of course). However, since we already have so much stuff in our house, I'm trying to limit what I collect (my wife and son have started collecting Pop! figures, for example, but knowing my tendencies to want the whole series, I'm refraining). One of the things I like about collecting music digitally is the storage issue isn't as bad as it was on vinyl (I'm placing all my albums on two external hard drives and a server as well as keeping the original disks, which will go in my office at some point to clear up space in the living room/dining room).
