Although the larger acts and major distributors do well in the current business climate, the vast majority of artists and smaller labels are not thriving in today's marketplace. Many artist see a digital world as a promise for a brighter future. One in which many more artists get exposure, not just the lucky few to garner radio play. Because MP3 is not controlled by one company, artists and labels are free to implement any cost structure they wish without an additional company requesting a piece of the action. The net offers a much more direct line between music listener and artist.
Fewer middlemen mean a larger cut for the artist.
Consumers Want Full Control Of Their Content Consumers have an expectation with all purchases that after they buy something they own it and can do with it as they please. Any system which attempts to limit illegal copying also restricts the users attempting legal activities. All systems which restrict this freedom will be rejected by users. This feature sells very well in the corporate boardrooms, but in the process of doing this it is impossible to avoid squashing a long list of legal activities. If one buys a piece of music, there are many things they might want to do with it.