Grammy-award winning big-band composer Maria Schneider (not to be confused with her Last Tango in Paris namesake) is just one of many composers and musicians who are marketing themselves directly online. Artists are enjoying the creative control this gives them and the potential to reach a new, global audience. The internet means that composers specialising in niche genres, such as big-band jazz or avant garde, can still put their work out there and find fans. But does this cutting out of the middleman mean the death of the record label? Hardly. Marketing is still marketing whatever the medium and it's hard work. The most successful 'direct-to-fan' composers are those who have already built up a core fanbase through previous label releases and live performances. Find out more about who's doing what in this field in my feature 'Downloads Call the Tune' in the Sunday Times Music section.
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