The history of pop music is littered with tales of woe regarding corrupt managers and their financial nest feathering at the expense of the talented individual whose face adorns the fan’s bedroom wall. The fat, cigar chomping Goliath sat in front of a wall of gold discs is an image most of us conjure up in our heads when we think of a record label boss. That big cheque they get for signing up is actually a loan, in which every penny cigar man spent on promotion will want back when your record starts selling. If you’re lucky you may break even by your third album. In short, the real money isn’t in record sales anymore. The fact is that it never really was.

This is where the free download comes in. A chance for the musician to have the controlling arm instead of the cigar smoking puppet master. In January 2007 the rules were changed, allowing downloads to count towards chart positioning. This opened the doors for full creative control for the bands and artists to promote themselves, and within the year there was an unsigned band in the top forty.

By giving away a song or two, interest in a band will grow. This in turn feeds the curiosity of the music lover, and prompts them to go and see the live performance. This, for the band is where the money is. Go and see the band, like what you hear and buy a t-shirt. All money in the bank or in the till of the bar at least with petrol money for the next gig.

The download rule, along with the promotional possibilities afforded by myspace, (still the best social networking site for the music industry) was the best thing to happen to the music business. And of course the worse. The Don Ardens and Simon Cowells of the world don’t have a say in the day to day running of the average bedroom band anymore and as such we live in a world where everyone can become a star. Put your song on myspace, clips of your gig on youtube and you have a potential audience that no television show could give you.

Producing enough physical copies of your single or album is out of the budget of a band in the beginning of their career ambition, but they can upload their output at very little cost without having to store the unsold copies in the spare room. If they charge for a download they have made a profit, providing someone hands over their paypal details. That one track a fan spends 50p on hopefully will create an interest and the money will come through other sources.