I think what I was trying to get at, but not really expressing very clearly, is that I think that music production and consumption will become a lot more personal, a bit like what is happening with blogs. Sure, some blogs are better than others and some have more readers than others, but it’s a continuum.

The concept of “flat-fee music” seems to be aimed at supporting a very similar structure to the present record industry – where music from a relatively small number of artists is listened to by a large number of people. Inherent in that model is the assumption that there’s only a small number of artists that are worth listening to, and that artists need to be paid, otherwise they won’t record anything.

There’s certainly a vain of truth in those arguments, which is why we have newspapers as well as blogs. But personally, I’ve not read a newspaper for months and am spending less and less time on mainstream news websites. For me, it’s far more interesting to read stories and opinions of my friends and of people I respect – and to follow links to content, products and services that they recommend to me. They don’t have to be paid to blog, they do it to share their lives with their friends.

In between a personal blog and a newspaper lies an interesting zone – a niche publication that, although it appeals to a small percentage of people, has enough readers to make it viable. Couple that with some novel marketing, product recommendations, public speaking, etc. and the author can make enough to become a “professional blogger”. You don’t need to be part of an institution to make enough to pay the rent and spend your life doing what you enjoy.

I hope that clarifies what I was getting at. I’d be delighted to hear your thoughts!