Spotify has arrived! Fears of global domination by a single conglomerate have come true. By 2084 we’ll be living in the Matrix, our energies sucked through giant tubes to feed the big boss: Doom and gloom!

Spotify, in the words of Mark Zuckerberg, is so good. It is true: a wicked game changer for the music bizz. For those not in the know, Spotify is basically a site with unlimited, free, streaming music with more songs to choose from than any other website to date. It isn’t any different than what you’ve been doing, except that it’s legal. Essentially, it begs the question: what is the need for records and cds, now demoted to relics of a silly past? Why buy anything anymore, really? The record labels (Sony, EMI, Warner, and Universal have all jumped on board) have become totally extraneous, which leads to the conclusion that the internet has been sucking them dry and they are jumping a sinking ship, grabbing for handouts where they can. They have eaten the big sandwich. Greg Ginn must be shitting his pants with glee (click here for interview with the leader of Black Flag and troubadour in the American underground movement). And it is now become total and unlimited independence for the listener. The common man has won the game. Huzzah! 

But what is the price? What does that mean for independent bands and labels looking for a slice of the sandwich? Has anything really been won? There are questions that need answering before chomping down on the champagne... But things are happening and moving towards clarity and resolution... or inevitably changing at least...