[locksley]

Not many musicians expect to make money from selling records.

It used to be "do free shows to sell records". Now it's completely reversed to "do free records to sell shows".

[Tyrannosaurs]

And that's actually been the industry's best response to it all - move the monetization to the thing you can't copy.

My concern is for authors, game designers and others for whom there is no such substitution possible.

[chimeracoder]

I don't know about the gaming industry, but most authors make the bulk of their income off of speaking gigs, book signings, readings, etc.

Actually, most are unsuccessful and make their entire income off of a second job, but most successful authors make their income from the above.

[Tyrannosaurs]

Are you sure?

I know a friend who is a published, relatively successful author (makes a solid but not spectacular living from it) makes most of his money from the old fashioned business of selling actual books.