Artists freed (Radiohead included)

There is a trend forming which will gather pace and soon affect all artists - freedom! Whether you are a painter, photographer, film maker, actor, writer, musician or video artist, things are a changing. For the Internet is gradually dislodging the iron grip that the middle men have yielded for so long.

Radiohead is the latest in a groundswell of artists breaking ranks with convention, brazenly discarding music labels, publishers, media conglomerates and even dealers, galleries and retail outlets. Going it alone, setting up their own web sites, distribution channels and events - you can even flog your own t-shirts online!

After all, if you have know how, marketing on the Internet is getting ever more cost effective and increasingly accurate and effective. The artist of tomorrow will need to know how to launch themselves and manage their careers, channels and PR like never before. This could mean they make more money, but they will have to work harder and be more business savvy - yep that horrific term rears its ugly head.

Artists will also need to bandy together to create greater clout - the sum of many... And to put my money (web skills) where my mouth is I have launched a social network for artists of all kinds to get together and share their works, ideas and soul. It's called b-uncut and you can find it, in beta, at www.buncut.ning.com.

Let's get together, help each other and set ourselves free!