The music industry is dead. Long live the music industry. In a piece we put out earlier today, we highlighted how more Web sites are popping up to help new and established artists get funding directly from their fans. See here.

So if you’re a musician and your demo songs are any good,  fans can buy “shares” in your next album for a minimum of $10 each. At the very least the fan gets a copy of the completed album. Plus, the more shares they buy the more access they get to the creative and production process for the album – like sitting in on a recording session.

Yet the challenge of distribution is still an important battle for up and coming artists who fund their own recordings. Many are still unable to get their music on to iTunes, which has more 70 percent of all digital sales in countries like the United States.

This is how TuneCore.com helped Eric Stiner, a 33-year old New Yorker who recorded for two bands Boy/Girl and Kill Kill Kill while completing his PhD in evolutionary biology at City University of New York.

“It’s near impossible to get music up on iTunes, TuneCore made it really easy,” said Stiner.

And what about selling CDs in stores?

“The CD is dead to us,” Stiner said. “It really only exists for us for demo purposes and radio stations. Digital music is more economical, more eco-friendly and way easier for distribution.”

(Photo of Sting/Reuters)