I just finished reading this book, titled “The 20 things you must know about music online”, on an excellent blog about online music called New Music Strategies written by Andrew Dubber. The book is a must read for anyone making music nowadays as although some of the things he writes about are commonsense for people who have a technological education many musicians (including me) might have not thought about all of what’s in the list.

Someone should definitely send a copy of the book to the managers of those record labels who still try (unsuccessfully) to stick to the pre internet era rules.

There is money in music and there always will be. What has happened is that it has moved. An industry based on a CD-selling business model no longer works and a more diversified one where downloads, merchandising and mainly gigs as the main sources of income has arisen.

In my opinion, recorded music nowadays is just a marketing tool not the product to earn money from so trying to follow the old business model is pointless. In adapting ourselves to this new situation the book by Andrew Dubber will be definitely worth the read.