Interesting Article

[JGray]

It is changing, but the old models still tend to edge out the new. Music and books are still stuck fast to top 40 stations and top bestselling lists. They depend a lot on stores like Wal*Mart.

It is changing, certainly, and file sharing, facebook, youtube and so forth have made the playing field something entirely new.

But the big difference is, they all started out with a "pro" area and a "non-pro" area. You go to a bookstore, you see a book on a shelf, you perceive that person as a pro. You hear a song on an FM radio station and you perceive that person as a pro (You, in this case, is a blanket term for folks out there in general). Eventually, that might no longer be the case. We'll see how the media industries evolve.

But with webcomics, it was never the case. Webcomics grew from the bottom down. It has always been all mixed together.

[wendyw]

It is changing, but the old models still tend to edge out the new. Music and books are still stuck fast to top 40 stations and top bestselling lists. They depend a lot on stores like Wal*Mart.

I suppose it depends on where you are and what kind of music you pay attentiont to. Both the local music store where I grew up and the local music store here will stock CDs by local bands alongside their normal stock. If you've had a record that looks at all professional and you play locally they'll stock you.

Plus my favourite gig venue from down South would have some petty big bands play and on the nights where they didn't have those booked in you'd get local bands or tribute acts playing and although they were less likely to get their posters on the outside wall they all got equal billing in the monthly listings they put out.

Fierce Panda records used to put out limited run 7" records, usually a split between two acts. The label made no money and neither did the bands, but the records ended up in stores on highstreets across the country.

I don't see music as having a clear definition between professionals and those who aren't, because sometimes even the ones that look professional aren't making money. In an interview with the lead singer of RXBandits he laughed at the interviewer for using the phrase Rock Star, saying that despite the fact they were touring foreign countries and had, I think, three records with international distribution via a major label at that point he could have made more money if he stayed at home and worked in a store. He was earning less than he could earning minimum wage.