I really like how things are turning out now in the music industry. Radiohead has released downloadable version of their newest album In Rainbows without a record label and fans can choose how much they to pay for it, and yes you can even get it for free if you choose so. Inspired by Radiohead’s success many other major level artists such as Jamiroquai, Oasis, Nine Inch Nails and Madonna are now planning to do a similar move and release their next albums direct-to-consumer without record labels’ assistance. I just love to see artists taking care of their own business and that is also the main mission of Not Evil Music – to help all artists to become more independent when it comes down to the business side of music.

The main reason why record companies are failing is the fact that they generate most of their revenue by selling recorded music, which is not so good business anymore. CD sales are declining and although digital music sales are rising they are not compensating the overall losses. The new generation of music consumers, or digital natives as they are called, are becoming more and more unwilling to pay for music, because there are so many ways to get music for free such as through peer-to-peer networks, BitTorrent trackers, on-demand Internet radios etc. Major level artists are also realizing that they don’t need record companies anymore as the middleman, and naturally without customers and content major record companies will cease to exist as we know them.

The latest events in the music industry bode a major power change. Artists will have more power over their own music and career, and there will definitely be a gap to fill after major record labels are gone (as we know them). This gap will most likely be filled with companies that specialize in music marketing, promotion, branding, artists management and generally in music management. In other words music industry will become a mashup of different specialized music management services and musically much more diverse. Having a personal music manager becomes a critical factor for any band that wishes to have commercial success. At the moment there aren’t so many music managers in the industry, but that will change soon. My advice for any band that wishes to have commercial success is to get a capable music manager or learn to manage your own music, now.