ReadWriteWeb

It's a familiar refrain from the music industry: revenue is down and piracy is to blame. That's the gist of the the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's (IFPI) annual Digial Music Report, which points to a slowdown in the growth of digital music sales.

While digital music revenue has grown 1,000% over the past seven years, the entire music industry has lost a third of its value over that same time period. And while digital music seems to represent both the best hopes and the worst fears of the industry, even its growth is slowing - only 6% last year, down from 9.2% growth in 2009. Digital sales comprise about a third of the industry's total revenue.

Startups flourish when entrepreneurs find new ways to disrupt existing markets and industries. One of the oldest businesses that has been in dire need of innovation is the music industry, and startups have begun to crowd the industry, rethinking the way people share, buy and experience music. Billboard Magazine recently named Rdio, a brand new subscription streaming service with storied founders, the top music startup of 2010 - and how it got there may sound familiar.

By now - the beginning of a new decade and well into the 21st century - it's a story we've long come accustomed to: the music industry is dying a slow, painful, sputtering death at the hands of the Internet.

According to analyst firm Forrester's latest report, 2009 was "a lousy end to an even lousier decade" for the music industry and we shouldn't expect much different until at least 2013. Last year, as a matter of fact, was one of the worst years yet, with a 13% decline from the year before.

If you live in the U.K. and you have 100 British pounds to spare, you can now subscribe to the Datz Music Lounge, where those 100 pounds can buy you unlimited access to DRM-free MP3s for one year. According to Music Week, Datz features about 2 million tracks from EMI, Warner, Beggars Group, and The Orchard. While the service is encumbered by technical problems like having to use a USB dongle, as well as a relatively limited selection of songs, we can't help but wonder whether this all-you-can-eat plan for DRM-free MP3s points towards the future of the digital music business.