$130 million goes to groups that fight piracy. Will the record labels every recoup such an astonishing misuse of money? EMI wants to stop funding these anti-piracy groups:

One label may not be able to change how piracy is tackled, but the current DRM-free approach coupled with new resources to market those products might make a difference. What difference, if any, is still to be seen. Just apply the Radiohead approach to everything and let consumers name the price of music.

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The Dresden Doll’s latest album debut at #42 on the Billboard charts, but they seem to make less than they would working at Taco Bell.

A NPR interview from earlier this year with the Dresden Dolls documents just how hard it is for musicians to make ends meet. Singer Amanda Palmer explains that the bulk of their income is from merchandise sales and explains, “We make almost no money off our recordings”.

Here are a few alternatives they have explored:

• Merchandise: The Dresden Dolls can take in more than $1,000 a night selling merchandise, which makes the “merch table” a major source of income when they’re on the road.
• Music Licensing: They earned about $40,000 from licensing their song “Coin-Operated Boy” for a TV ad in Austria.
• Books: They brought in extra revenue from their book Dresden Dolls Companion. The book contains lyrics, sheet music and personal notes about their songs.

Bands can’t survive without exploring alternatives to album sales.

Click here to read the NPR article