I can't help but notice a new industry emerging. The service label.

We have Ditto Music
CD Baby
Tunecore
Myspace
The late mp3.com

and others springing up with the same model. Low annual fee or per release fee. Distribution where artist gets all royalties. Marketing support and more.

Will this be the norm ? It's early days but I can see a solid business emerge out of the fog.

It will be the Google of music. Get everyone registered and offer low per module fees. Some percentage deals others fixed cost deals. Add a PR to the mix and a&r consultants to help get the hit in the first place. It's all too much for me to sort out in my head today as I have a gig tomorrow.

Can you guys see this emerging ?

I think some of the current people like CDbaby have missed a golden opportunity. Hire top quality marketing people, sift through your catalogue and create opportunities artists can only dream about.
But not at ridiculous flat fee rates but on an hourly basis.

Have i had too much to drink ? or am i onto something here ?

Tunecore are starting to really make a mark.

The distribution they have got us, is far more than they had promised, despite early glitches, it was well worth working with a new company.

I do love any company that under-promises and over- delivers.

Yes KZ, we are looking at the new majors I believe, but, I do think, personally, in your list,CD Baby and Myspace will be the ones that walk out the door without the winning lottery ticket.

This is not their fault at all, they are and were innovators of the new world music model.

Also, don`t forget without I-Tunes, many of these companies would not survive still, however, I can see their corporate shoe laces tied any day now as people don`t want the EMI`s, which I-Tunes has become sadly, they want the corner shop.

If the corner shop is on the net, the public will go for it.

It will not be an amazing turnabout, we were allways all only human, the computer chip which was placed in our head was as faddy as an 80`s haircut.

We all still want to purchase from "Joes Record Store" as opposed to a supermarket.
Theres an excitement in that.

There's a theory that I heard during the dot.com boom, that the only people that really made a killing during the Klondyke gold rush were the launderers.

They didn't speculate or spend their time working their hands to the bone in the vague hope of striking gold. They sold services at a flat fee that the other lunatics were willing to pay for.

It's worth thinking about. That's the business the new service providers are in. And it's much smarter than it appears at first glance.

if it was really taking off, surely Weedshare and the similar 'sharing is caring' labels would be leading the way instead of lurking in the background.

i think it's more of 'it was bound to happen anyway' so people adapt as the majors adapt.

Weedshare and