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Album sales have never been the main source of money, it's playing live.


Oh no, to the contrary, album sales are still a huge source of income. The margins are being eaten by digital options and piracy, but it's still a significant income stream.

I would argue that the market for live performance is limited to artists who can perform live and audiences that go to such shows. I have no proof, but I'll bet it's easier to convince someone to buy an album than go to a show. I mean, how many band t-shirts does a fan need? They can't ALL be superfans.

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Your right, people want to write a song, have someone else record and perform it, and sit back and watch the profits roll in.


There's nothing wrong with that, though. The star machine still needs raw material. I think that's a separate issue from the royalties question.