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So, as of right now, here are some key battles which are taking place on that dastardly internet at the moment...

The Battle Of YouTube
There was always going to be a hell-up when it became clear that anyone could record a pop video, or TV appearance, or interview, off the TV, and the put it up on the internet for everyone to see. Especially when music videos are also available to download (for a small fee) onto your ipod or equivalent. You could almost SEE the twitchy record company execs yelling "WHAT? They're GIVING IT AWAY? BUT! BUT! The REVENUE STREAM!"

And to be fair, they're not WRONG. They've bankrolled everything, from recording costs to video production costs, and as soon as TV puts it out there, all they can see is their investment being handed round like complimentary mints in a restaurant.

But everyone expects the videos to be available on YouTube. They watch them for free on the telly, why can't they watch them for free online? Hell, YouTube is massively important in the pre-release hype for a new song. Most record labels are happy to upload their latest videos on that basis alone. But sometimes they're a little skittish about it. So you'll get a video you can watch, but not embed on your blog page, or your MyFaceBo page or whatever.

This is odd, because a) the video is already available, revenue streams have been abandoned, so there's no good reason to limit distribution, and b) you can still get embeddable versions which have been uploaded by other people.

In fact, b) is especially compelling a consideration, because often an artist's official YouTube account will allow embedding where the record company account does not. So it just smacks of not really understanding how people are using your product, and promoting it for you (again, for nothing).

Having said that, there could be all sorts of exclusivity deals which are going on - with the likes of iTunes, for example - the like of which we can only speculate about, so there may be method there after all.

The Battle Of Radiohead
Radiohead's new album is available to download right now, and it will only cost you...whatever you think it is worth. You probably already know this, but if not, it's really true. You can pay as little as 1p (plus a 45p handling charge) or as much as...well, how much have you got?

And this is apparently very threatening, because it has taken the means of production out of the hands of the record companies. Never mind that there are bands who are uploading their work to the web and making it available for free downloads all the time, it's the fact that a band as big as Radiohead are doing it which is causing all the kerfuffle. But then, seeing as the band are also releasing the album as a £40 'discbox' (vinyl AND CD AND packaging), and are looking into getting a proper CD release in the new year, so what?

In fact the only really interesting thing about the Radiohead album release is that people are excited about being able to set their own download price. A lot of people are going for the cost of a download on iTunes (£7.99), some are paying £1, and some are even paying the 1p minimum. But this is Radiohead, right? They won't lose money on this, and even if they do, all they need to do to get it back is tour.

AND if people download the album and don't like it, you can't take it back and get a credit note. So it's a kind of triumph for the band all ways around. Plus look! Radiohead's new album on ChartBlog? Genius marketing ploy, fellas...

The Battle Of Oasis
Releasing a download-only single isn't that big a deal in this day and age. But for Oasis to do it is kind of fascinating. Not least because Noel Gallagher has less than no interest in the web, and also because Oasis are a band who used to pride themselves on the quality of the entire single package - b-sides, artwork, all that. On the one hand, a download-only release can't be as exciting as a pilgrimage to the shops to buy an actual thing. On the other, there's something to be said for downloading a new song in the middle of the night. And even though 'Lord Don't Slow Me Down' (available on October 21st) is being released to help promote a new documentary DVD of the same name, it's not a live version of an old song, which proves the band are still prepared to make the effort, even when it's 'just' for web-users.

The Battle Of The Sex Pistols
The NME ran a campaign recently to get 'God Save The Queen' by the Sex Pistols up to No.1 (which we talked about a bit here). This was to tie in with an Elvis-style re-release of all the band's singles on 7". So it was as much an advertorial as it was righting a historical wrong, but whatever. In any case, you'd think having the backing of a highly-influential magazine (and several top-rank indie stars) would be enough to secure a decent chart placing, right? I mean you've got the vinyl version in the shops, AND download sales, surely that would be enough to get the song up to...well...at least...

No.42, that's where it got to.

To put that into perspective, Samanda out of Big Brother got to No.26 with 'Barbie Girl', although that was with CDs in the shops.

All of which means that for music to do well out of the internet at the moment, you need open-minded distribution, you need the right material, you need to be doing it for the right reasons, and you need the general public to be behind you all the way. Sounds easy, eh?

Small wonder the record companies are panicking, poor loves...