Holdout artists, come out, come out, wherever you are...

In this iPod day and age where CD sales are continually dropping and more and more people flock to the Internet to download and buy songs, analysts say that bands and artists (or what we call 'holdouts') would inevitably have to give in to Apple and allow their songs to be purchased on the company's download site if they don't want to be left behind in the industry.

Andrews, manager for Bob Seger and Kid Rock, is amazed at the popularity of Apple's iTunes in the music industry (about 70 percent of the legal downloading market) having sold over a million songs in the last three years. Bob Seger has decided to release his classic 1976 album "Night Moves" but is still in negotiation to have his entire album downloadable and not just some of his select songs.

Metallica, who ironically was one of the bands who petitioned for Napster to be shut down, has also given in to iTunes and released their songs for sale late last month. The Red Hot Chili Peppers did the same thing in April with "Stadium Arcadium," their first album in three years. The band, along with Bob Dylan, has also used the site to sell concert tickets.

Holdouts such as the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Garth Brooks, Radiohead and Kid Rock still avoid iTunes because of piracy and artistic integrity concerns (with their songs being sold for just 99 cents each). Also, online distribution leaves them with a very small profit.  Andrews similarly revealed that artists are now earning less than a dime for each song sold, as compared to the 30 cents that they used to get.

Other record labels won't release statements (just yet) about allowing their artists' songs to be downloadable in iTunes but admit they're working with their artists and bands to keep their options open about their music and album sales, especially online distribution.