Highlights From The Bandwidth Conference

• "YouTube videos are the gateway drug," said a professional music videographer at Bandwidth. "I think most bands do embrace the bootleg model as a way to get people to the pro sites."

"The technology is really there to empower the consumer and the artist," said Gracenote VP Stephen White. "It is about creating better experiences around music, and we think the same is true for movies, TV, and other entertainment content."

• "There are tons of new models around recorded music; most haven't worked," Jambase's David Rosenheim said. "People are consuming more music than ever before. Unfortunately for the labels, they are not paying for it."

Creative Allies plans to soon launch a test version of software that lets artists hire fans to create anything from concert posters and t-shirt designs to music videos and biographies, according to the startup.

via AFP