Paul Andrews in the Seattle Times: Musicians are key to settling digital discord
All it would take to clarify the music mess is for one or two popular performers to say, “We’re going to change the system.” And then write great music and own the copyright, popularize it through live performances, record it at independent studios and sell it over the Internet.
Musicians may be beginning to see the need to self-promote, but that still isn’t enough to break through to the next level. What bands have made it really big without being signed to a major label? Probably the best example of a band making it big without being picked up on mainstream radio/MTV is Phish, but they were signed to Elektra. However, as more and more bands get screwed by major labels it will become possible to get access to the mass media in addition to making a decent living as an independent musician.
