The artists will all head towards giving away their music for free. (they can make money in so many other ways--endorsements, concerts, etc.) So, then all our music will be free, just the way we like it.
Whether pirating music is right or wrong is a whole other debate, but if you think that MP3s will allow musicians to be able to release all their music for free and that said musicians will be able to make a living from music under that system, then you have no idea how the music industry really works, especially for independent artists.
Concerts, etc., simply don't make that much money, unless you're constantly on tour. Assuming you don't want to live on the road, it's not really an option to make a living doing gigs. From a business POV, gigs are basically done to promote merchandise (mainly CDs, but also t-shirts and other things). This is especially true in the US, where venues pay a lot less than in Europe. (You're also less likely to get a guarantee than in Europe, especially on the East Coast.)
My husband is a musician and runs a small label. His band is one of the most well known in his genre ("gothic" folk), and he lives off of his music. He's not rich, by any means, but he makes a living. Most of his income comes from royalties on his CD sales, not from gigs, and he plays out more often than other bands in his genre. Even if he toured all the time, he would still make more from the CDs than anything else.
As much as I (as a music fan) would love to have completely free music, I don't see it happening any time soon. If it ever does, there will be a lot less professional musicians, as they won't be able to live off their music.
Slashdot Mirror
Whether pirating music is right or wrong is a whole other debate, but if you think that MP3s will allow musicians to be able to release all their music for free and that said musicians will be able to make a living from music under that system, then you have no idea how the music industry really works, especially for independent artists.
Concerts, etc., simply don't make that much money, unless you're constantly on tour. Assuming you don't want to live on the road, it's not really an option to make a living doing gigs. From a business POV, gigs are basically done to promote merchandise (mainly CDs, but also t-shirts and other things). This is especially true in the US, where venues pay a lot less than in Europe. (You're also less likely to get a guarantee than in Europe, especially on the East Coast.)
My husband is a musician and runs a small label. His band is one of the most well known in his genre ("gothic" folk), and he lives off of his music. He's not rich, by any means, but he makes a living. Most of his income comes from royalties on his CD sales, not from gigs, and he plays out more often than other bands in his genre. Even if he toured all the time, he would still make more from the CDs than anything else.
As much as I (as a music fan) would love to have completely free music, I don't see it happening any time soon. If it ever does, there will be a lot less professional musicians, as they won't be able to live off their music.