Blur's Dave Rowntree: New Singles Policy Will Benefit New Bands

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has told Gigwise that the music industry's proposed changes to how singles are released will benefit up and coming bands.

Starting next month,artists signed to Sony and Universal will make their singles available on the same day they are played for the first time on radio.

It is hoped the move will discourage piracy and has been backed by the Feature Artists Coalition (FAC), which campaigns for the protection of UK performers' and musicians' rights.

Rowntree, a member of the FAC, welcomed the change and said it was new artists who will ultimately make more money.

“It's the up and coming bands who have a problem with this because they’re the people that used to queue up at the record shops to buy their singles on Saturday mornings,” he told Gigwise.

“And they’re the people whose downloads – whose releases – are the most keenly anticipated, and they’re the people who are struggling the hardest to make a living in these times of music industry recession.”

Rowntree said the changes would also help because the money earned from performing live was still not enough to enable new acts to pursue their dream.

“It’s the difference between, can you do it professionally, give up your day job and do it for a living – which is really the only way to do it successfully – or not,” he said.

“And if you can’t, then we’re not going to have a music industry in this country, so it’s the up and coming bands that need all the support at the moment.”

You can read Gigwise's exclusive Dave Rowntree interview in full now - and check out his thoughts on Blur's future below.

MORE: Blur Will 'Definitely' Do Something Together In 2011.

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