Earlier quoted context omitted.
The RIAA and other major music industry players may have no future, but there is definitely a profitable future for a "music industry" populated by entities that are willing to adjust to the modification in distribution channels and consumption habits. As it stands, the old-fashioned fogies are simply in denial and doing their best to prevent the marketplace from changing because they don't know how to use the new te…
they don't know how to succeed in the new marketplace Who does, in your opinion?
Take for example Radiohead or Louis CK. Their previous successes allowed them to produce, release and distribute independently of big entertainment — but I don't think we're at the point where a small independent artist can effectively take their own music to market in a manner comparable to using a label. I don't have data to back this opinion, but high profile successes in independent distribution have been biased toward artists who were well-known and previously successful.