No you totally missed the point.
Like I said, you can TEST DRIVE a car.
If you download an album you're not stealing because whose to say you would of bought it anyway. You're previewing, you're test driving. If you like it enough, you'll buy it. Walking into a shop and taking a physical CD is stealing it. Downloading files is not.
You're not deducting physical produce from the market and you're only 'taking' the material in theory. You're not negatively removing it in anyway as it's a carbon copy. So when they compare copyright 'theft' to real theft it's nonsense.
You're so wrong it hurts.
I have to make the distinction here: Intellectual property is still property. It's not physical in nature, but someone owns it. I'm sure you went through school always being told not to plagiarize. That is the pretty much the same concept. You are, in essence, partaking in the theft of music when you download it illegally. Your hands don't seem dirty because there's distance between you and the actual crime. However, what about the person who provided the digital copies? Who says you or anyone else has the right to dictate the terms in which SOMEONE ELSE'S artistic work is distributed? I highly doubt Marshal Mathers or Interscope gave someone permission to distribute their assets on the internet, free of charge.
You drive that car, but you have to return it as well. Not to mention the fact that you are accompanied by a representative of that establishment (to watch over you as you drive the car). You don't get free reign when you test drive a car. By comparison, say you download the music. It isn't a test drive by any means, because nothing forces you to delete it after your "test" listen. You can keep it as long as you want and do whatever you want with it.
I can go out right now and steal something I wouldn't have bought. Are you actually naive enough to think this is a legitimate argument? I could steal some chick's lipstick because it's just sitting there. I'll never use it and never wanted lipstick anyways. But I still stole it. Is it okay now because I can just say that "I was never going to buy it anyways"?
What the fuck is "real theft"? Here's the general definition of "theft" that is used in law: "a criminal taking of the property or services of another without consent." You have files on your computer that you don't have permission to access because you didn't pay for them. WHO CARES if you're taking a physical or a digital copy? It honestly doesn't matter. It's a cop out to say it does, and it makes you full of shit.
