The thing that annoys me

So, I've been doing a decent amount of research for my research paper for my composition class and while meandering the internet I've found a topic that has irked me. This is the argument that "downloading music from the internet hurts the artist's income" I'm sorry, but this is totally inaccurate. This is simply a campaign set out by the major record companies to try to guilt people into buying their product instead of downloading it for free.
Ask anyone you know who personally knows a musician signed to a record deal. The profits that they are receiving for each cd they put out is almost nihl. The only people losing money on you downloading music from the internet are the recording companies/"big label companies"
I am, however, by no means condoning downloading music as a way to acquire music. I do not find it to be ethically right as it is a form of stealing. I am simply saying that those people who are saying that it is hurting the artists are either payed to say that or misinformed.
Another problem with this has actually been backed up by research. This is that those people who are downloading the music for free are often times those who would not buy the album in the first place. Whether because of the financial inability to do so or because they don't feel that it is worth their money to actually go out and buy the cd.
Also there are those people who only want a single track for whatever reason. Why would you go out to buy a cd for $15-$20 when all you want is a single track. It's a rip off (but this is why internet music companies have started to sell track individually as well as selling the entire record).
Just please note, I am by NO means condoning the downloading of illegal music. I am simply trying to clarify the arguments currently circulating the internet so that people may have accurate facts. As I stated before, I feel that downloading music for free is both wrong and unethical and should not be done.
~Phillip Andrew