Blogspace has been passing around this article by Janis Ian (the songwriter and singer of "Society's Child" and "At Seventeen") -- a particularly clear exegesis of the recording industry from the viewpoint of an independent musician:
I don't pretend to be an expert on intellectual property law, but I do know one thing. If a music industry executive claims I should agree with their agenda because it will make me more money, I put my hand on my walletｷand check it after they leave, just to make sure nothing's missing.... Every time we make a few songs available on my website, sales of all the CDs go up. A lot.
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