[B-Chan]

If I were a recording artist, I'd sever my ties with my label and set up my own sharing website. Downloads would be free and unlimited, but I'd have a pr0n-site-style "members only" area with premium stuff available only to paying customers. (This would end up being pirated anyway, but a lot of people would still pay for the sake of convenience and perceived swank value.) I'd include downloadable video of live performances on the site, plus contact information on how to set up a date, plus tour information, bios and data, a fan forum, and other fun stuff. The heart of the site would be the Store, where fans could buy t-shirts, posters, etc. using PayPal or credit card; this would be the income-generation portion of the site.

[Conservative4Ever]

I should have read further down...you pretty much stated what my thoughts were. :)

Red

[who_would_fardels_bear]

What about electronica? Are people going to pay to see someone on-tour push the play button on their sampler?

What about video games? How much money are you going to make selling Doom T-shirts?

What about movies? When they perfect eye-glasses that can project a large-screen-like image on your retina there will be no reason to ever go to the movies.

Telling Bruce Springsteen to make his money on the road is one thing, but what about all of the other artists making easily pirated digital forms of art that don't have the same opportunities to make money off "experiences" or "hardware" associated with their software property.