The popular Fifa 14 Ultimate Team Coins conception of the music industry with regards to the web Fut Coins is one of an ostrich with its head firmly in the sand. But atthe GreatEscape festival in Brighton, there's a remarkable amount ofoptimism about the web on display.
That's evidenced by the size of the crowd that attended PRS' ChiefEconomist Will Page's talk on what's next after MySpace, and theensuing panel featuring digital music rockstars like Ian Rogersfrom Topspin, Dave Haynes from Soundcloud and academic and bloggerAndrew Dubber.
Since MySpace's fall from grace as the premier destination forindependent bands to present a face to the world, there's been agaggle of websites hoping to claim that crown -- in a number ofdifferent ways. Some compete with each other, some complement eachother, some cost money, and some are free.
These services are becoming more and more popular as bands areincreasingly expected to come to a major label armed with a rabidfanbase and an album or two in the bag already. Page pointed outthe trend of artists self-releasing a few albums or putting themout through an indie label before they sign to a major label."We're going to need DIY services to make this work," hesaid.