> increasingly difficult, if not impossible, for independent bands to exist at all, he said<p>Uh, no.<p>These old-timers still think a healthy "independent" music scene is one where an infinitesimally small number of garage bands get lucky and land distribution deals with indie labels, and maybe make a couple bucks.<p>What we have now is real music independence - being able to DIY record your band and instantly distribute the sound to the entire planet, for free. You can also DIY record and distribute professional music videos, communicate with your fans in real-time, and take payments from anyone in the world.<p>What a time to be making (and listening to) music!<p>The only people complaining about this are the guys who ran small labels in the 80s and 90s - they're just bitter that they're no longer needed, and that major labels still exist.