I personally think artists/labels are simply going to have to get used to earning a lot less money than they were in the 80's to 90's. A lot of labels/artists act like it's the norm to be earning thousands of dollars per month from their music but this kind of money is a relatively new thing, in the grand scheme of things.
Don't get me wrong; I was invovled in the dnb scene a few years back so I know how much work goes into writing music and touring. But did I ever expect to earn £1000+ per hour for playing a few records? No! If I do a 9-5 in the studio, 5 days a week, why do I deserve to be earning more than, say, a doctor earns?
The music industry in the 80's and 90's was nuts... way too much money being made and everyone got greedy. Now that we have an illegal and easily accessible alternative (torrents), the public has chosen with their wallets... they don't believe that the music is worth what the labels were charging a few years back.
Now, companies like Spotify and Netflix have got it right. Charge an annual flat fee for as much music/films as you like. Both these services have significantly cut down my torrenting activities. Yes, it's true that the artists/labels/studios don't earn as much but then did they ever really deserve to be earning as much as before? Besides, the cheaper Spotify/Netflix become, the more people sign up to them... a million people paying a $ per month is still better than 10 people paying $10 per month.
And that's not even mentioning the fact that it's pretty hard to pirate a live performance. Artists need to accept that music production is simply a form of marketing. Get your music out there and make a living from performing it live. I know I made a LOT more money from dj'ing than I ever made from releasing the few records I had out.
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