How about we let David Byrne tell us a thing or two about this:
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/musi ... ntPage=all
A thought...when CDBaby debuted 10 years ago, the idea of independent digital distribution of one's own music was pretty much just that, an idea. Now it is a huge force, and CDBaby alone has paid over 70 million dollars directly to independent artists, according to founder Derek Sivers. While the majors moan and cherrypick newsworthy lawsuits against single moms who download illegally, independent artists are marketing themselves online, often with free downloads as bait. As a certified nobody who creates his own music, I find these to be exciting times, full of possibilities...even for 40-something artists who aren't writing exactly what the hit radio stations are playing.
How many fans does an independent artist need to make a living? Hmm. 5000? 10,000? Very achievable with a smart gameplan and good tools like CDBaby, YouTube, MySpace, SoundClick...and cheaper than ever home recording technology.
Of course, I'm STILL waiting for that Renaissance. In the 80's with the advent of inexpensive 4-track recorders, I remember thinking this would lead to a musical revolution--hundreds of new Lennons and McCartneys would come out of the woodwork. And now that we can create broadcast quality recordings on the cheap in our own living rooms and market them ourselves...has a musical renaissance occurred?
In my opinion, well...I'll just quote David Byrne once again: "Stii-iiill waiting...stiii-iiiill waiting..."