I am looking forward to the day that Record Labels do not exist. Yes, I really mean that.  Here is a perfect example why.  I was just searching YouTube to mock a friend that she can't touch this, so I figured the best way to show those emotions was posting MC Hammer's video "Can't touch this." I found the video and after clicking the link to it, some other music started playing.  Then I read the description:

MC Hammer – U Can't Touch This YouTube blocked the audio to the video so I just changed the audio to a song that was in the AudioSwap. Enjoy!

The video currently has 12,828,845 views. I repeat the video currently has 12 MILLION MOTHERFLIPPING VIEWS! Now, if the record labels were smart, they would call up YouTube and say something like this:

"Hey YouTube, this is the record label calling you again.  Yeah I know, you think we are greedy slimy cock suckers, but let me get to the point. There is a video that belongs to one of our artists, MC Hammer and the video is uploaded by some regular joe blow user.  INSTEAD of (KEY POINT HERE) claiming a copyright claim against this video, what I would like to do is have you change the video to our account so we get credit for the plays and start advertising on it.  I do realize that it took us 12 million plays later to realize all this because we are the record labels and do not work well with others and technology. Ok give me a call back, thanks.

It's just a matter of time before the record labels do not exist and artists can embrace all digital technologies to survive on their own.

I met MC Hammer with Chamillionaire and Larry Chiang last year and he is really a great dude so don't get it twisted like I'm blaming Hammer.