Chris Smither on music downloading, 2003

My audience is expanding in two directions, and I think it probably has a lot to do with the access to the music on the Internet and people looking for things, not waiting to be told what they should listen to. When MP3s and Napster copies first came out, I was outraged--I felt like I was being burglarized. But I've come about 180 degrees now and realized that, at least at this level of music, it's helping me. It's helping me a great deal.

I can’t tell you how times I've had people come up to me and say, “Hey man, I downloaded three of your tunes off the Internet. Give me everything you've got.” And they buy all the records. The only people who download and don't buy are the kids, and they never had any money to buy with in the first place. So it doesn't matter. As soon as they have money, they are buying it. So what happens is the kids come to the shows now because they have heard it on the Internet. It's gratifying to see people in their late teens and 20s in my audience.

Outtake from a story on the indie music business for NPR's All Things Considered