HOUSTON – Some local artists say they are struggling to make money as the Internet continues to be a source for free music.
In the last ten years record sales have fallen off a cliff. In 1999, compact disc sales climbed to $14.6 billion, but dropped to just $6.3 billion by 2009.
"We are going from being very lucrative to really just staying afloat,” said Mike Watts, the founder of Swisha House, a Houston-based rap label.
The label represents artists like Mike Jones, whose first album sold two million copies. Watts said five years later Jones’ second album sold about 60,000.
Jones and other performers facing declining sales, didn't lose their touch, they are victims of the digital revolution.
“It's impossible to compete against free," Watts said.
Web sites, such as Kazaa, allow consumers to download and share music for free.
The music industry has fought back, shutting down the free music Web sites, and suing people who used them.
“When they shut down Napster, there were 20 sites to take its place, and [for] every site that is shut down, there are two to three sites to take its place the day it shuts down,” Watts said.
iTunes arrived in 2003, providing a place to download a song for as little as 99 cents, but it hasn’t ended the demand for free music and it hasn't stopped file sharing.
