Outspoken performer and provocateur Will.I.Am is making headlines once again this time saying that the Music industry is dead. The Black Eyed Peas front man and entrepreneur describes himself as a realist and that by accepting the death of the music industry artists will be forced to create new avenues to gain representation in the emerging media and technology driven landscape that contemporary industries must now embrace and interact with.

There is no doubt that the music industry is fast approaching a new era, with a dramatic rise in online media consumption coupled with a decine in record sales. Will.I.Am highlights this as a reason for the death of the music industry as it was once wholly reliant on record sales. Black Eyed Peas frontman and entrepreneur says he’s saddened that labels ‘don’t make hardware anymore’ but accepts this as a reality that the music industry must face in order to remain relevant.

Will.I.Am admits to the personal affect this industry change has had on his own brand staing that he had made more money from his equity in Beats Electronics – the makers of Beats by Dr Dre headphones – than what he made from Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling, the most downloaded song of all times on iTunes. “Our music sells other people’s hardware, and it’s a hard pill to swallow,” said will.i.am. “Record labels should not compete with other labels – they should compete with Samsung, with LG,” he said. “I challenge you to challenge those you think you probably shouldn’t go up against. That’s what Dr Dre did with Beats.”