Most music fans have probably noticed the shift in the industry that has occurred in the past decade or so.

Thanks mainly to the Internet, the once all-powerful record companies have slowly been losing power and influence, while the artists themselves have been gaining the upper hand. Nowadays, you no longer need a major label record contract to release your music — anybody with a computer, a microphone and a MySpace account can get their music heard by millions of people around the globe. And with record sales in a free-fall, the labels have been scrambling to keep up.

One way that the majors have been trying to make up for lost revenue is by making distribution deals with sites such as the aforementioned MySpace or YouTube. These deals, made with little or no input from the artists represented by the labels, govern how much the artists are paid for their music with these online distributors.

This is what’s behind the creation of the Featured Artists’ Coalition, or FAC (www.featuredartistscoalition.com). Already behind the cause are members of Radiohead, Iron Maiden, The Verve, Kaiser Chiefs and Gang of Four, along with other big names such as Chrissie Hynde, Robbie Williams and Billy Bragg.

The group’s mission, according to its Web site:

"The Featured Artists’ Coalition campaigns for the protection of performers’ and musicians’ rights. We want all artists to have more control of their music and a much fairer share of the profits it generates in the digital age. We speak with one voice to help artists strike a new bargain with record companies, digital distributors and others, and are campaigning for specific changes."

You can also check out this BBC article (where I first learned about the coalition) here.

According to the article, the FAC hopes to provide education to artists advising them not to sign away rights to their recordings under the current 50-year copyright system. The group is also looking to provide bargaining power for artists in negotiations with online content providers.

Who knows what the music industry’s reaction to this group will be, but in my opinion it’s another step in the right direction for independent-minded artists everywhere. What do you think? Leave a comment below.