Blanket Licenses as Music's Future

At a SXSW '07 panel Peter Jennings, the manager of The Clash, Pink Floyd, and others as well as Cambridge educated economist stated that the future of music should be a blanket license. If each music listener pays an annual fee of $50, the music industry as a whole would make more money than it currently does while ending the frustrations caused by old world vs new world complications with DRM, licensing, and pricing. Unfortunately, current models and conceptions within the RIAA will probably keep this from being a possibility in the near future. In my opinion the best method for this to happen would be at the hands of pirates. If they can make an illegal but easy option then major labels would have no choice but attempt to capitalize on its success and evetually we may eventually hit this utopian music ideal where everyone gets paid and music is easily heard by everybody. Only time will tell...