Karla Starr

In the future, one Web site will serve all our music-purchasing needs, including Digital Rights Management-free downloads, ringtones, concert tickets and band merchandise. Streaming music will still be available free. Three of the four majors will take part: Sony BMG, Warner and Universal. Bands will continue posting videos and other...

Earlier this year, Radiohead released its latest album, In Rainbows, on its Web site using a pay-what-you-wish model. A few months later, Nine Inch Nails released Ghosts I-IV employing a similar scheme, only with more business savvy: There was a tiered scale with prices ranging from free (low-quality digital audio...