In the UK the distribution system of physical media is controlled by the majors. What frightens them is that they have much less control over the movement of digital media. Hence their desperate and draconian attempts to hobble the sharing of music that has always occurred long before the internet came into being.

In contrast, artists have always embraced the sharing of images and digital media. The issue of copyright is still relevant but the sharing of images by the public is seen as promoting art rather than damaging it. Copyright only has relevance when advertisers try to make money off of an artists work without compensating them. In the art world copyright is enforced against companies who try to exploit artists for financial gain rather than against those who consume art.

Musicians need to realise that they can benefit greatly from the model that artists follow. They need to drop the old commercial model and try other options. Culture cannot exist without public participation and this includes funding. Most of the greatest art and music works have been subsidised by public funds. The difficulty for musicians is that society will not fund everything and commercial avenues of funding are often restricted to a very narrow field of music.

It’s time for musicians to realise that not all of their noodlings in the studio are worth buying. An artist may sell only 10% of a collection of work if they are lucky. Yet many musicians believe that everything they produce has value. Rewarding lack-luster music has been fostered by the major record labels and it’s finally being exposed as a sham.

File sharing isn’t destroying the music industry. The majors are still are making huge profits. What is destroying the music industry is the commercial model that is restricting choice for the public and opportunity for musicians.