Under the auspices of the PPUK we have brought together an awesome mix of nerdcore stars, some of whom are playing for the first time outside of the US.

These artists are ones who have rejected the monopolistic system currently peddled by the recording industry and have created new forms of artistic control and support for existing and emerging acts.

From record labels run by artists, for artists, to peer-to-peer management and distribution agencies, the groups playing at Steal This Gig have proven that moving outside the prevalent music industry and prospering is not a dream - it is real, and it is happening now.

The music industry we grew up with is nearly dead. Soon it will only be a memory to pass down to our children. The days of corporations leeching money from talented musicians and trading them like trinkets is over. As this struggling dinosaur bleeds out a few more years of penny pinching, more and more artists are attaching themselves to labels that act for them, rather than against them.

Times have changed. Recording equipment is cheap and you can plug it right into your own computer - there's no need for high-cost studios. Now we have labels such as Scrub Club Records - a not for profit, open source and totally pro-artist label.

Today, an ever increasing amount of music is written out of sheer creativity - for fans, by fans, not for whatever "Music Moguls" believe they can make the next Christmas Number One. Everyone can now write and distribute whatever they feel people will want to listen to - or not, if they so wish. This unprecedented explosion in culture now feels the norm to those who work as musicians, but is a mortal threat to those who hope to manipulate the music charts and radio playlists for their own advantage.

This is the new present. The Music Industry must adapt or die. The artist and their fans will always thrive.