Okay, so the iTunes Music Store had 200,000 songs from the five major labels available on Day One, which covered a pretty broad spectrum of taste, at least as far as the "average listener" goes. And now they're starting to get songs from indie labels (the exclusive Dashboard Confessional track we mentioned last week is the first we know of), which ought to broaden the selection still more, to accommodate those of us who like our stuff a little further out in left field. So what's next? Well, we can't be completely sure, but it sounds to us like the next logical step is to add music that's really obscure-- songs that maybe six people on the planet have ever heard. And why not? Handled properly, the iTMS could be much more than another way to buy the same old music you can pick up at the mall; we could well be witnessing the democratization of the music industry in action. After all, just because music is obscure doesn't mean it isn't great.

Here's what we're on about: last week both Oasis CD Manufacturing and CD Baby announced programs whereby a musician-- any musician-- can fork over a little extra cash and get his or her music submitted for inclusion in the iTMS. Now, we're not entirely sure what that means, since Apple obviously isn't going to offer every single submitted song for sale ("...or are they? Mmmmwaahahahahaaaaa!"), but at the same time we're sure this isn't a scam; CD Baby was invited to, and was present at, that big ol' indie label shindig that Apple threw last month when it was eager to sign up some lesser-known artists, and indeed, it was CD Baby who posted all those juicy details about the offer before Apple reminded them about a little thing called a nondisclosure agreement.

Again, we don't know exactly what this implies, but it sounds to us like Apple is explicitly opening the door for anybody with a CD to be considered for iTMS stardom. And we do mean stardom; now that, according to Slate, Billboard is tracking digital downloads, all bets are off. A couple of weeks ago, Cyndi Lauper cracked the digital Top Ten-- with a song released in 1984. Last week, the number one song only sold 1500 copies. So, what happens if that only-six-people-heard-it song cobbled together on a four-track in the musician's apartment bedroom turns out to be good enough, in Apple's opinion, to wind up on the iTMS? And then what if the six people who've heard it start telling their friends? What if one of them has a web site that gets 10,000 hits a day and posts a link? It's not inconceivable that said obscure bedroom-produced song could wind up selling 1800 songs in one week, knocking Beyoncé and Jay-Z out of the top spot and making Millard Plotznik of Southdale, Minnesota a number one recording star. Without so much as the "right look," the "right moves," the "right hair," or even a recording contract.

Again, we want to stress that this is entirely our interpretation of what the new "digital distribution" deals seem to be implying, and it could just as well be 90% wishful thinking. It's not completely out of the question, though, is it? At last check, Oasis and CD Baby were teaming up to implement a combined program for submission of artist tracks to the iTMS and other, lesser digital download services, so if you're a budding musician, maybe it's time to dust off the accordion and scrape together a little cash; producing your own short-run CD only costs a coupla grand, and who knows? Maybe you'll be the one to show those major-label stars who's boss.