Zylstra does seem to be justifying it (although nowadays you can buy individual songs instead of a whole CD), but that's his business. Personally, I'm not against sharing music. Many artists I listen to support this because it's a good way for them to get exposure. Some people think it helps sales, and some think it hinders them. Either way, I haven't seen nearly as much of an effect as had been predicted.
I've got thousands of songs I'll never pay for. I've also got thousands I will eventually pay for or have already paid for. I certainly don't reflect everyone, but filesharing hasn't affected my buying. Being fairly poor, I can't buy many albums as it is, so I wouldn't be buying most of this music anyway. It doesn't hurt for me to still enjoy it. It's not like I can listen to the radio or watch MTV to get my music fix.
Music doesn't exactly cost a lot of money to make. As poor as I am, I helped produce an album last year and the total costs came out to maybe $100-150 at the most. The guy broke even after one show and gave away the rest of the CD's. My friends and I make music and we distribute it freely over the internet. The internet makes it so easy and cheap to be a musician these days. You don't even have to be signed to a major label anymore to be recognized. I think that's worth all of the pirated music.
Besides, if you're doing this for the money, you're in it for all the wrong reasons.
