Having read your post through the eyes of someone who is looking to create a career in music, I do have some points to make about digital distribution. When you open the can of digital distribution, in terms of music, you’re opening a world of discussion which relates directly to the value of music and musicians today. Hannah, I do not doubt that others feel the same as you toward music, that it affects them in ways which are both wonderous and memorable. But, on that same token, I do feel that a large majority do take the availability of music for granted. Yes, there is something to be said for enjoying a band or artist in a live atmosphere, but because of the sheer volume of music that is consumed today, I highly doubt that any average individual would venture forth and pay for secondary items or concert tickets for more than a handful of the acts they listen to. This makes their dodging of song payment an issue.

You had mentioned Radiohead’s pay-what-you-want ploy (I say ploy, because the audio quality of the files they provided were sub-par at best). Unfortunately, this model can have devastating effects for musicians on varying levels. For one, Radiohead is an established act and if their average revenue per In Rainbow’s album was 6 pounds (going by the info you provided), where does that leave the up-and-coming artist? How can a startup competitively price their music when it’s so undervalued economically? They can’t. They have no choice of whether to offer it free or not, as they are muscled into giving it away due to lack of buyers. And, because of the variety of lifestyles music producers lead (not all perform), how can they survive? Their time is not any less valuable than a touring musician. These days, achieving a viable revenue stream through music sales requires huge volume. So then, is touring a necessity? This is a huge barrier to entry for a musician looking to make a living off his/her talent, seeing as how it limits the diversity in which they can present their music.

Additionally, as Trent Reznor from NIN discovered during his jaunt with Saul Williams, the pay-what-you-want model can be destructive to a creative mind. Finding out that your fans value your music at less than the cost of a cup of coffee can be hazardous to an artist emotionally and creatively. This might be a trivial point to an individual who has not spent time creating (not you, Hannah, in general), but it’s a real concern for those who have put themselves into the work they make public. I can tell you that I was somewhat taken aback by the fact that my own friends (upper-middle class) would not pay 99 cents (or less in some other on-line stores) for a song that I had released, Instead, they asked for a free copy.

Without a doubt, digital distribution can help a startup musician/band. It has definitely helped me. If the industry was anything like it was just 10-15 years ago, I wouldn’t have the potential to get anywhere on my own.

Anyhow, I hope you’ll excuse this rant. I am all for digital distribution. There’s just so much to discuss on this issue and it’s no wonder that both musicians and labels are having a tough time navigating through the pile of steaming rubble that is the music industry.

I wonder what the world would be like if the music industry played the game rather than fought against it?

For a long time P2P or Torrents were cheaper sure, but most importantly, easier. iTunes has made up a lot of ground, to the point that people can’t be bothered downloading illegally because it’s so easy to buy legitimately. The time you save makes up for the dollar you pay.