Our cover feature looks at the arguments for and against writers and performers getting a larger share of digital income. Enormously costly and wasteful parts of the record business are removed with the jump into digital (manufacturing, physical distribution, returns), yet new costs have swiftly swung in to replace them (spikes in marketing expenses, complex data processing). The debate around rate increases is a critical one but equally, in this period of transition, it cannot be forced through too quickly. In this waiting game, the question is really about who is going to break first.
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