Expanding the supply of "gatekeepers" online will allow many more musicians to connect with people who enjoy their work.

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A good many musicians are now attempting to sell their music over the Internet.  The problem is, most online music is presented in such a disorganized jumble that trying to wade through it is just too daunting a task for the average consumer.

What we really need are trusted people who can prescreen, organize, and recommend material to the user.  A user should be able to specify not only that he’s looking for, say, Latin jazz, but also that he wants to check out what’s been recommended by some particular “taste maven”--who could be a respected music critic, a local night club impresario, a record store clerk, , or any other individual or organization whose tastes happen to agree with his own.  

The minute a user can specify that he wants to see only material that's been recommended by a "screener" of his choice, all the clutter and clamor will effectively disappear, and he will be in a much more appealing world of content he is genuinely likely to enjoy.

This solution is actually not far from becoming a reality.  Software has already been developed, and critics and writers for respected publications like Rolling Stone have been lined up.   Moreover, major online music sites have seen the service and say they are interested in paying for the right to offer it to their users.

What this solution is ultimately based on is expanding our supply of trusted “gatekeepers.”  

© COPYRIGHT 2003 ROBERT WINTER.  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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More Specifics

	Gatekeepers are at the core of the music business.
	There is a viable new way to provide the music industry with the gatekeepers it needs.