Blink 182

Tom Delonge, September 2009:

“. . . you need to evolve with the art. . . if you look at your band with a modern filter, your band has so much potential . . . You can create all this really cool merchandise and concert/live experiences. You can create a really cool portal on your website. You can mix all these elements together and I always believe that if the tools are available, you can monetize all these other elements, and not really worry about selling the record. In fact, I believe that, you should take down every barrier and put as much music out there for free . . . In my mind, the way the music industry is changing is that music is easier to make and it’s easier to give away for free. And that will enable the band and the music and the art and everything to be bigger than it’s ever been. It’s just how do you collect that and how do you build your business . . .”

He adds, referring to Radiohead’s In Rainbows, “It’s cool that they did that, and they were able to do that. But for younger bands and smaller bands coming They need help. They can’t give away their records for free, yet.”

In 2000, however, Blink-182 was involved in an anti-piracy campaign that feautured print ads reading: “If a song means a lot to you, imagine what it means to us.”

Delonge is involved with efforts to connect artists and fans directly,  as owner of Modlife. The website is an effort by musicians to connect directly with their fans via blogs and live chats. He believes that this is the new face of the industry, and the best way to monetize music in today’s world. Angels & Airwaves’ third album, Love, was released as a free download on Modlife.