I don't know where you're getting the idea that by making a copy of a song, it's suddenly legal to spread around. If I buy the CD, and burn a copy for you the potential sale to
you is eliminated. An addition to the sale? What?
For your reading enjoyment:
Highlights from A&M V. Napster
Downloading songs is considering "wholesale reproduction and distribution of copyrighted works" = direct copyright infringement. By ripping a song form a CD you are not transforming the song, you're just putting it in a different medium.
I think a good bulk of people think downloading is okay because hey, Fleetwood Mac is a "supergroup" and they have millions of dollars and spend their days in Hawaii sipping teas. It's not okay. And buying a thousand copies of SYW doesn't justify burning one.