It’s not just rock bands such as Radiohead that are selling their wares direct over the internet. Hordes of contemporary avant-garde, classical and jazz composers are using the web to publish and sell their creations. Last week, we heard of the top violinist Tasmin Little releasing her latest recording, The Naked Violin, free as a download (available from tomorrow; www.tasminlittle.net ).

Maria Schneider, a Grammy-winning, New York-based composer of luscious, wide-vista “big band” music, gave up on the record industry several years ago. She now markets herself entirely online, and is critical of the way the business treats composers and musicians. “With a record label, you make nothing,” she says. “I looked at the numbers and decided to eliminate the label, publisher anddistributor, and market myself direct to my fans.” She signed up to ArtistShare (www.artistshare.com ), an innovative American website that encourages fans to fund artistic projects, from contemporary music, in all its forms, to film and dance. Schneider’s fans stumped up about £60,000 for her latest album, Sky Blue, and, thanks to two recent Grammy nominations, ArtistShare founder Brian Camelio believes the album could notch up £250,000 in direct sales in the next two years.

Fans of ArtistShare composers sign up to a tiered membership. Depending on how much they pay – from £500 for “bronze” membership to £9,000 for an “executive producer” role – they qualify for a mention on the album and other perks, including multimedia downloads of rehearsals, interviews and recording sessions, as well as VIP tickets to live performances. Since its launch in 2003, ArtistShare has signed up more than 100 composers, musicians and film-makers. Each artist retains control and ownership of their output; the company takes 15% of sales.

In the UK, too, there is a growing band of composers for whom the internet is proving a lifeline. Through websites such as Critical Notice (www.criticalnotice.com ), promoted by the British Music Information Centre (BMIC; www.bmic.org.uk), leading contempo-rarycomposers sell their work direct as MP3 downloads.

Howard Felton, senior manager at the BMIC, says: “The internet is incredibly important for modern composers because there aren’t any contemporary classical-music labels as such. The internet is going to become the main way of selling this kind of music.”

David Ferguson, chairman of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters (BACS, www.britishacademy.com ), agrees: “The record industry, particularly the majors, has been poor at supporting serious contemporary music,” he says, “so the internet is taking its place. What it gives composers is access to a global audience, which is essential to be commercially viable these days.”

The BACS is this year launching an online-only label, Academy Recordings, this year. And Tutti (www.tutti.co.uk ), a long-standing digital distributor of new music, is expanding to allow composers to promote their work and sell digital downloads via the site for a monthly fee and commission of about 25%. Tutti’s founder, Sarah Rodgers, says: “This is going to be the year when contemporary music truly goes digital. ”

Some composers are happy to go it alone. Graham Fitkin (www.fitkin.com ), a leading British composer whose latest album, Still Warm, incorporates classical harps and sampled electronica, used to have record deals with leading labels, but now publishes everything through his website. “The net has given me total creative control and put me in touch with a global audience,” he says. “I get orders for my CDs and scores from all around the world, and sell more sheet music in the USA than in the UK.”

The web is becoming an invaluable tool for the distribution and promotion of new music.

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