Musicians are adapting to free music downloads

Jim Guerinot is the ‘talent manager’ for a number of bands and people. His clients include the rock outfit Nine Inch Nails, who have won over many fans recently with their willingness to provide their music for free over the web. First off was the ‘leaking’ of a number of tracks before an album was released, then their was the full scale assault on the traditional business model as the entirety of the album ‘The Slip’ was released for free.

Free music downloads are, of course, nothing new. Napster was perhaps the first and most famous of the services that provided the tools to get as many free music downloads as you wanted. Then Torrents and services such as Ares took over the mantle and have become insanely popular. From there, signifying perhaps an acceptance by the industry that free music downloads could not be scared away, emerged legitimate free music downloads services like We7. We7 signed a deal recently with Sony BMG to provide their entire back catalogue to users.

Such a deal – with Sony of all companies – is both incredibly exciting and groundbreaking. It represents a complete U-turn on behalf of the publishing giant. It is forward thinking companies like this – along with bands like Nine Inch Nails – that will allow the industry to progress and grow.