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As record companies and retailers struggle to adapt to the new, tech-heavy world of music consumption, a phenomenon has emerged that is gaining popularity in the industry, even as it is decried by consumers. A number of pop music’s most sought-after acts have recently partnered with specific corporations for “exclusive” sales deals, wherein consumers can only purchase the new CD at a specific store, at least temporarily. Others have offered retailer-specific versions of a new CD with bonus material unavailable elsewhere. The idea is to drag music consumers away from their computers and back into the stores, and it seems to be working.

The $100 million gift that is allowing the Yale School of Music to go tuition-free is making waves across the classical music industry, and has the potential eventually to elevate Yale to the ranks of America’s elite conservatories. Officials at schools like Juilliard and Curtis have long known the value (and necessity) of making music education as cheap as possible – most professional musicians will never make a great deal of money, and many are driven out of the profession altogether by the need for a steady paycheck. “Half the former art and music students surveyed by college lender Nellie Mae in 1998 had debts bigger than their salaries.”

Helsinki’s major daily newspaper has recently taken an interest in how much money Finland’s artists and musicians manage to pull down in a year. What it discovered is that the country’s wealthiest artist has been dead since 1957. Jean Sibelius, the composer whose music defined Finland throughout the 20th century, is still earning royalties on performances of his music, most of it coming from abroad. Last year alone, Sibelius’s heirs received €1.5 million in royalty payments, making the deceased composer Finland’s most financially successful musician by far. The continuing windfall is ironic, since Sibelius had a terrible time managing money while he was alive, and frequently struggled to earn enough to take care of his family.