That's the point – you can respect your favorite bands as musicians, and that's why it's not a problem to buy an original album, essentially sponsoring the band so they can release their next album sooner. But who would you respect in pop music? Fat producer guys or scantily clad girls lip-syncing to a backing track? It's absolutely empty music that doesn't justify the cost of an original album, in my opinion.
And as far as I know, "pop" albums sell much faster than any other. It's not the artists themselves who are buying them :D