Focusing on harming the labels directly is probably not the best idea, but unfortunately that's what everyone seems to have focused on.
To me the most important question is why do new musicians go to the labels at all? If technology can help at all, it'll probably be by creating solutions that address that question better.
Instead of better tools for distribution and discovery of old label music, it might be better to focus on the tools for creating new music, starting from composing/jamming to recording to releasing the music to listeners.
But, regardless of how good and effective such a technology may be, it will still boil down to the benevolence of the largest successful company that produces such technology.
For example, Amazon has done a great job of dragging books into the 21st century, but its evil colours are beginning to show. Going from paper books to ebooks is a bit like going from Encyclopedia Britannica to the Encarta CD-ROM, only worse because they can be remotely erased. I have high hopes for Wattpad to take us to the Wikipedia stage, but once they're there, who knows how evil they will turn out to be?
Similarly, someone may solve this problem for music temporarily with superior technology, but in the long run, it will come down to how greedy they are.
>To me the most important question is why do new musicians go to the labels at all?
For the same reason people would rather release an app in the Apple app store than on the WWW: exposure. Someone with an insane amount of talent will make less money than a mediocre performer backed by a media blitz from the music industry. I'll leave examples up to others to come up with.
What's this "radio" thing you speak of? I'm 40, and I haven't listened to the radio in years. My kids (14 and 17) have hardly ever utilized the radio and have no problem keeping up with pop music.
To me the most important question is why do new musicians go to the labels at all? If technology can help at all, it'll probably be by creating solutions that address that question better.
Instead of better tools for distribution and discovery of old label music, it might be better to focus on the tools for creating new music, starting from composing/jamming to recording to releasing the music to listeners.
But, regardless of how good and effective such a technology may be, it will still boil down to the benevolence of the largest successful company that produces such technology.
For example, Amazon has done a great job of dragging books into the 21st century, but its evil colours are beginning to show. Going from paper books to ebooks is a bit like going from Encyclopedia Britannica to the Encarta CD-ROM, only worse because they can be remotely erased. I have high hopes for Wattpad to take us to the Wikipedia stage, but once they're there, who knows how evil they will turn out to be?
Similarly, someone may solve this problem for music temporarily with superior technology, but in the long run, it will come down to how greedy they are.