The profitability of being a musician in the digital age

Information is Beautiful, a web site specializing in graphics based on data, recently created this interesting chart on how much a musician really makes through sales of their work online.

Click the image above to expand.

Judging by the numbers in the image, it's no surprise that more musicians are going the label-less route and producing and releasing their albums independantly, as that area is more profitable. The chart also reinforces the fact that artists make most of their money from touring rather than through releasing material.