Universal Music has a plan, the Total Music Plan, that may or may not convince consumers to pay a hidden $90 tax on devices in exchange for unlimited access to music.  You can read all about Total Music in Business Week.

I want to focus on giving some unconditional love to Total Music.

If you read my blog or catch my comments on the Internet you know that I am bearish (reasons 1 2 3 4) on business models that hope to survive by selling downloads.  

If you’re an artist and you don’t know my position, here it is in a nutshell:  You need to be in at least 200,000 music devices (iPods, cell phones, Zunes, etc.) so that you may somehow convert 5% of these device owners into 10,000 fans that may spend $30 on your tickets, “premium” music and merch over the next 18 to 24 months, and FREE is the only way an unsprung (unsprung = not famous) artists can rapidly place songs into 200,000 devices over the next 24 months.  

iPods are the new radio and you need spins on the radio to become un-unsprung. Take my music for free PLEASE.  (Artists click here prior to taking my advice wholesale.)

Setting aside the problems of being found first and being played second; when there are 4,000,000 bands competing for the same thing, and the average person my end up with 40,000 songs in his pocket; I think the Total Music Plan could help everyone; provided that independents can somehow participate.

Here’s why: anything that reduces friction between you and getting your marketing message into the ears of potential customers is a good thing.  Your songs, if they’re good, are the ad messages that will convert unknown consumers into loyal fans.  

If Universal’s Total Music Plan can put your music closer to potential fans then that’s a good thing.  This plan wipes out the need for CDs, download platforms and file sharing networks; it saves time and it facilitates immediate gratification.

With the Internet and iTunes your music is a connection, a credit card, a username, a password and download away from your fans (that sounded good last year).  With Total Music, your songs (if you can participate) will be as close as keyword search away.

If Total Music can stock a device with 40,000 songs that a particular fan may want to hear based upon selections generated by a rudimentary recommendation engine (I like rock not rap…) then everyone with a radio-ready song could potentially participate.

After cutting down the distance between music and fans, the other problems that Total Music must address are revenue distribution and discovery.

If revenue is divided proportionately by shares of the aggregate of all spins across all Total Music enabled devices, then Total Music gets another kiss.

The last hurdle is discovery.  How do you get found amongst 40,000 songs, especially when most consumers will opt to hear the popular stuff first?

The answer is: for now, you will be found the way you are today; but, it’s also up to the people that create the Total Music Interface to once again reduce the friction between you and others that may want to deliver your message.  Friends and groups should be able to simply share recommendations, and perhaps artist should be able to compensate those that spread the word.

It’s easy to find reasons not to do something; but, Total Music seems like one of those ideas we should find reasons for doing instead of not.