Hanging out with Thomas Dolby at the TED party last night, we ended up talking about Larry Lessig. Thomas had said at TED global in Oxford that he didn’t want his music given away freely on the web, sparking a discussion about how artists feel about distribution. And as we explored the need to balance the freedom of the web with artists need to pay their bill, Thomas pointed out that it was his deal with EMI that got his music heard.

The irony is that I was programming my college radio station when he signed his record deal, and without EMI there’s certainly no way that I would have ever heard “She Blinded Me with Science” or put it on the air on WSPN. So – we agreed that record deals were critical for artists who wanted to get their music heard. But that was then, and there was no internet, and really very little in the way of independed Distribution. Today Thomas puts his new stuff out on the web, looking to connect with new audiences as his fans. What’s amazing about his music is that you hear him just as hungry for new musical ideas, just as experimental, and just as hypnotically lyrical as he was back in 1982.

If you haven’t listened to his new stuff - you should - you can find it here. He really is a remarkable artist – and he brings to TED a remarkably diverse and musical spirit that makes the 3 days an artistically uplifting experience.