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Internet, New Technology Levels Playing Field For Up & Coming Musicians
Many in the music industry – including the big four record labels – admit that the power balance in their business is shifting, due in particular to the Internet.
Downloads, peer-to-peer file-sharing, piracy, podcasting and online radio stations and a new generation of music entrepreneurs – are shifting that power balance.
Tom Smith, lead singer of British group Editors, says that his group has seen success after making their music available online.
"It seems to me that it means people can listen to more music, they can decide for themselves early on if they like or don't like something. So they can actually listen to more than they ever would listen to and then go out and buy the record."
Smith says his group’s "first record was very limited edition, and not many people could get their hands on it – but you could obviously get the songs and hear the B-sides on the Internet and from various places. "I think that's healthy and people sharing music is healthy."
Matt McGinn of the independent label Saddle Creek says the Internet had "really helped independent music." He adds, "I think all of our bands have seen growth due to people being able to share bands that they find and love with other people, who are then turned on to the music too. We've put up a couple of downloads for every record we release, and that, you know, shows that we want to share some of the music just for free, just to check it out, and I think that's definitely helped."
Rob Owen of EMI admits that the majors have been playing "catch-up," but adds they are now dramatically improving. "There was the file-sharing, peer-to-peer services, illegal downloads, and they'd completely and utterly taken over what we were meant to be doing as a record industry.
"We have caught up now, and I think people are sitting up and taking notice. They know where they can get things legally."
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