Music for the people

Unsigned bands get DRM-free online store of their own.

Some people think the music industry is dying, some think piracy is the answer, some think p2p, some, like the RIAA, just don't think.

ThinkIndie, a project of The Electric Fetus, a small independent music store based in Minneapolis, MN has a new business model that bucks the industry trend.

Many people justify piracy because the songs sold online are low quality and locked up, poorly, with DRM. This would be an indication that the big-middleman businesses are missing what the customer wants to purchase. The Electric Fetus listened and designed a business model that addresses such concerns.

Welcome to Think Indie, a place that gives music lovers what they want. The death of the music industry is highly overblown, however, thankfully, the death of the inane low quality low selection big-middleman industry is here.

The rebirth of a music industry that connects music lovers to their favourite bands and artists, while actually paying the artists, is just beginning. Fortunately, big-middlemen missed this idea 10-15 years ago, which is why they are now choking on their cigars.

Think Indie offers a 300,000 song catalogue of small, local artists that are often unsigned to a label. Talk about an opportunity to develop a following and spread your music beyond the local scene.

ThinkIndie also gets two key items right: 320 kb mp3s and no DRM. Songs cost $US1.11 per track and $US9.99 per album.

Hear that? The echoes of the large industry crumbling.