1.	Back to music..
2.	Lawrence Lee, the editor of the fantastic Tomalak's Realm news site, sent me a pointer, in response to yesterday's piece, that changed my thinking about this music stuff. http://www.phillynews.com/daily_news/99/Apr/30/features/FLOC30.htm
3.	If you're investing in music, media and/or the Internet, read every word of this piece. If their point of view is true, here's the opening. The music business environment is ripe for exploitation by the Internet.
4.	A quote. "Where once there were highly competitive radio stations desperate to be the first to play the coolest new releases, now there are a half-dozen massed broadcast groups that barely compete at all. Taking a conservative tack, many have narrowed their pop station playlists to just 15 or 20 songs to build a fat cumulative audience that only has time for a couple hits. To boot, these broadcasters are demanding 'promotional' funds from labels in payback for every song on their short playlist."
5.	And the labels are cutting down the number of artists they promote. "If I were starting out in today's environment, I don't know if I'd make it," said Sheryl Crow, one of the few survivors of the recent A&M records consolidation into the Universal Music Group that reduced her label roster from 90-plus acts to eight. "Given today's fragile, singles-driven mentality, I might get so frustrated I'd quit the business.."
6.	If Sheryl Crow almost didn't make the cut, what other big name acts are floating, looking for a way to distribute and sell their music? Flipped around, the record labels, even if they fully embrace the Internet, are leaving a lot of money on the table.