Just heard some record exec bloke say that Grooveshark should be able to give away music as soon as Walmart starts issuing free food to musicians.
To me, comparing MP3s with food isn't valid. Growing, harvesting, and distributing food is an expensive business. Making music and disseminating it electronically is not. The public is totally aware that they've been ripped off by the music industry for years (15 quid for a CD - ridiculous). Now that technology has rendered the old model obsolete, what's the point of fighting it? Music won't be killed, just the old valuation of it. If people find that they can't make a living being a musician, maybe they should consider the ephemeral nature of that vocation. Personally, I like making music at home - it's what I call a "hobby", and quite separate from my constructive day job.
That said, since discovering Grooveshark this year, it has brought many artists to my attention that I would never have otherwise discovered, and has led directly to me buying their albums from iTunes / Amazon. Therefore, Grooveshark has made more money for artists from me than any other conventional promotional route.
