Music is indeed moving toward free. This idea has been further illustrated this week by Last.fm and Qtrax, who have announced that they are now making millions of major label tracks available for free.

The Good

• Last.fm is paying artists each time a track is played.
• Qtrax allows downloads so that you can play the music offline.

The Bad

• The DRM permits us from playing these tracks on some devices.
• The labels still own the copyright.

If music is going to be free (as in freedom) musicians need to keep control of their copyright. New musicians should retain distribution rights; that way the musicians (not the labels) decide how their music is used. And also, why should the labels get a cut of this deal?

This is a step in the right direction. But let’s not fall to our knees just yet, because music will be free when the musicians control it.