I think I agree with Kevin. The general public seems to have a mental disconnect between the artist and the record company. Maybe they, too, have heard the stories about artists being routinely screwed by the record companies. But it's true they don't have the slightest hesitation about ripping the Big Boys off.

I don't see them doing the same to us small-timers. The public seems fairly respectful of the fact that we're trying to make a little money off our music, and appears comfortable with the idea that we ought to get paid for what we do. Maybe it's because they think they know us, and don't know the likes of Britney Spears and Toby Urban because they're too big and too remote.

That said, I do think one has to deal with the presence of the Internet, and what it's good for. The idea that one can listen to music free, and maybe download it for free, is a fact of life (and partly the result of price-gouging by the record companies), and maybe one has to adjust the business model to reflect that. I don't know if what I'm doing is right (and certainly not everybody is doing what I do). I figure anything I've got posted on line is up for grabs, and I'm going to use the Internet as a promotional tool, to get people to gigs and get 'em to buy records (both of which they are doing).

Joe

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