Rushkoff contends, “In the zero-sum logic of corporatist economics, creating value for anyone other than the shareholders means taking value away from the shareholders.”

as the record industry struggled to remain profitable, they began to act against their own better judgment and pursue short-term advantages, rather than trying to ensure the longevity and stability of the social ecology of music culture that still existed offline and wasn’t just going to reappear overnight online.

The Copyright Wars became, and, to this very day, are “an effort to deny the type of experience consumers want on the Internet” and “to deny the very nature of the present by changing it back into the past.”

Rushkoff says, “Small is the new big, and the surest path to global change in a highly networked world is to make an extremely local impact that works so well that it spreads.”

I think everyone is still interested in music; a third of the country, apparently, watched a programme called the 'X factor' rather than an excellent game of snooker tonight, a country bored of music doesn't sit avidly watching a singing competition.

However, 'mainstream' life has become so devoid of pleasant songs that we go [LIFTED] mental whenever someone manages to string a few notes together (Boyle). Most people still don't quite know how to use the internet to find new music and explore new avenues, so they're starved of good music, caught in limbo, no longer keen to trawl the record stores, but still relying on insipid DJs and pop producers to explore new music.

The Susan Boyle thing was us remembering that 'oh yeah those older songs were pretty good' rather than discovering a true singing sensation in our midst. I think the time of anyone 'owning' music will soon be gone. We are not far away from being able to access full quality music, from any era, instantly. With that technology in place, I think a subscription to a centralised music distribution body will be the only way for musicians to make money outside of live performances, sponsorship or merchandising. A sort of entertainment tax which provides music to everyone, free at the point of access.