Hey guys,

My article was recently published at UW's Flip The Media blog....an excerpt is below.....


"The digital revolution has brought about the age of the DIY musician, or as Sonicbids.com founder Panos Panay calls it, the “artistic middle class.” With technology, artists are able to produce and distribute their work easily while maintaining creative control. But big record labels, despite their floundering, still appear to be the way for an artist to go from anonymity to platinum-selling success. So how is this middle-class musician Panay speaks of making money and supporting his or her craft?

Traditionally, artists have had several income streams. These include income from record sales, live performances, performance/mechanical royalties, songs used in television or film, merchandising, and endorsement deals, just to name a few. But it can be difficult for an independent musician to access some of these streams without the help of a well-established label.

New business models are springing up all over the Web to help independent musicians get revenue from their music. The Future of Music Coalition recently highlighted some of these in its “Music 2.0” series at the 2009 FMC Policy Summit:

• Internet radio. Internet radio, which is seeing an increase in listenership, plays more artists in more niche genres than traditional radio would ever be able to. Last.fm and Pandora both stream independent music and pay royalties to performers and songwriters.

• Fan sponsorship and patronage. New online services such as ArtistShare and Kickstarter help artists raise money to fund projects and underwrite some of their expenses. Fans can donate money to their favorite artist through these sites and get access to part of the recording process, such as a songwriting session. Depending on the amount donated, incentives for fans can include everything from a free download to getting executive producer credit on a CD.

read more here