People PAY for the artist, not you. I want Apple to turn the industry inside-out. Artists directly to Apple - so they get their slice and Apple gets their iPod sales. No more fat!

I guess we just ignore the fact that without the label (and the show), the 'artist' would be flipping burgers somewhere.

And it must be nice to live in that utopia where you think getting rid of the labels will magically make the music industry great. Who's not to say Apple just won't take that nice big share and keep it for themselves? Oh, right, they don't care about money...

And I wonder if Sony had a contract with Apple. Seems to me that would be the only way a lawsuit would work.

... or however you spell the french phrase.

*deep breath*

You CAN get your music on iTMS w/out a label. Just take a look at a little service called TuneCore. I haven't sat down and looked for legal statements, but many ppl are releasing directly to online stores through this service for a very marginal fee so that all the profits your work gets go straight to you aside from a small $20-60 upfront fee (billed by song or by album), which doesn't hit you until your stuff is posted.

*panting*

Really though, as useful as media coverage is for x-person, people discover music/artists they like not only through traditional outlets like the radio, but also through connected searches and recommendations, whether they be from friends or an automatic source like the iTMS.

There may yet be a day when labels aren't nearly as effectual as they are today.I know of artists who've used the online-sales, self-promote-only model and ended up going on tour and becoming very successful. As more artists discover this, it can change the tides of the music professional in our country, or the whole world, for that matter.

Labels are not going anywhere but it is because they have designed a system in only which they can compete. For instance, it is impossible to get music on the radio without label representation. That is because labels pay the radio stations off.

> I guess we just ignore the fact that without the label (and the show), the 'artist' would be flipping burgers somewhere. <

Number 1 - I don't 'watch' these shows. I have NEVER been influenced by shows or marketing as to what music I like. I have been influenced by friends, concerts, magazines (back in day), etc etc.

False illusion and premise that the labels HELP ME discover what MUSIC I LIKE. No way. That's bogus. I am not seeking to 'discover an artist'. I seek music that I like. I could care less about X-Factor.

The music label business has been a scam for a very long time -- oligopoly at its best which has created the ultimate distribution cartel to squeeze as much $$ out of us.

Think IMDB -- 'community' drivers to influence me to look out for a movie. ITunes recommendation engine -- you think I really care what the label says.

Direct-to-consumer model. Simple as that. The dinosaur has seen its last day. And the movie business is next.

I guess the built in taste filter that iTunes has overloaded but it did it's job by stopping the downloads.

Such a contrarian dimwit. If Apple said the earth was round, you'd claim it was flat, much like your head.

"Like a s******, here it is in a nutshell." The Big Labels are aging dinosaurs that are squeezing the industry dry. That goes for Simon "f*** sniffer" Cowell, too. He cares nothing for the art of music, he just subverts it for profit. Here's hoping there are bankruptcy proceedings in his future.

Such a contrarian dimwit. If Apple said the earth was round, you'd claim it was flat, much like your head.

And if Jobs said the world was flat, you'd start bashing the critics who claim Jobs is wrong. What's your point.

"Like a s******, here it is in a nutshell." The Big Labels are aging dinosaurs that are squeezing the industry dry. That goes for Simon "f*** sniffer" Cowell, too. He cares nothing for the art of music, he just subverts it for profit. Here's hoping there are bankruptcy proceedings in his future.

I just love how people always put this. The way you wrote your wonderful diatribe implies that Apple cares about the art of music, and nothing of profit.

Keep in mind Apple is using the artists and the music for its own personal gain, nothing more. They want to make money selling songs and iPods.

If they actually cared about the artist, they wouldn't be in bed with the labels, they'd throw them all out, add the ability of artists to post their own work directly, and work at cost or for a small profit.

Or they could force the labels to all be non-DRM. Or open up fairplay to other licensees. These are things that would be great for the consumer.

But they don't do that. Why? Because it would hurt Apple, and that's who Apple cares about (and, technically, who they're only supposed to care about).

I'm not sure how Apple using artists is any better then the labels (but I'm sure you'll tell me). Maybe its just "They aren't as bad".

Of course, what I find even more hillarious is all the sniping and bitching that goes on when a label gets in a tussle with Apple and threatens to leave. h***, you should want the labels to do everything in their power to blow up as soon as possible, which includes leaving the iTMS. But when they do (like UNiversal), the company is roundly criticized, rather than the departure cheered. Go figure.

There may yet be a day when labels aren't nearly as effectual as they are today.I know of artists who've used the online-sales, self-promote-only model and ended up going on tour and becoming very successful.

Do you think you could let us all in on the artists you know who've done this? Because if it seems like such a great idea and easy to do, you'd think more people would not be signing with the labels.

...because these insipid reality talent shows are where the truly gifted people can be found. NOT.

Apple did everyone a great favour with this serendipitous server outage by slowing the insidious spread of yet more vacuous MOR top-40 audio-SPAM to unsuspecting audiences worldwide.

...because these insipid reality talent shows are where the truly gifted people can be found. NOT.

Apple did everyone a great favour with this serendipitous server outage by slowing the insidious spread of yet more vacuous MOR top-40 audio-SPAM to unsuspecting audiences worldwide.

...because these insipid reality talent shows are where the truly gifted people can be found. NOT.

Apple did everyone a great favour with this serendipitous server outage by slowing the insidious spread of yet more vacuous MOR top-40 audio-SPAM to unsuspecting audiences worldwide.

"Keep in mind Apple is using the artists and the music for its own personal gain, nothing more."

It's called a beneficial symbiotic relationship. The artists are using Apple for their own gain, and nothing more. And I applaud both parties for it.

I wish Apple would blow off the labels and invite the artists to distribute directly through iTunes. That would be more money for Apple, and a LOT MORE money for the artists.

I'm a musician, and this is the way I would prefer to do business. To have a website that linked directly to my iTunes section. And I can gurantee that that is what will happen in the future. And that scares the labels, but they're too stupid to comprehend how to deal with it properly.

This story is not even worthy a comments :-()