The music industry is undergoing significant disruption, with costs for creation and distribution at an all-time low, enabling more artists to make a living. While the problem has shifted from access to obscurity, the market is adapting.

The rise of the 'long tail' means niche artists can collectively outsell top sellers. However, services like Spotify offer artists minimal revenue per stream (around $0.00029) and insufficient fan connection. The author argues that giving music away for free on platforms like Noise Trade (founded in 2008) in exchange for fan information leads to more sustainable, long-term income through direct engagement and future sales.

This model generates significantly more revenue over time than traditional sales or streaming, as it facilitates direct interaction, concert attendance, and merchandise purchases. The author states they make more money giving music away on Noise Trade than selling it on iTunes, and even prefers illegal downloading to Spotify due to the lack of meaningful fan connection and revenue from the latter.