Mavaru, a new web platform that allows artists to sell their music using a pay-what-you-want pricing model, has just launched into public beta. In addition to great design and solid technology, Mavaru is a welcome addition to the music industry landscape. While it’s understandable for people in music to be nervous about new platforms like Mavaru that upend traditional business models, I think what they’re doing is important in light of the fact that these traditional business models aren’t really working anymore (and haven’t for some time). Whether Mavaru has hit on a successful formula or not is yet to be seen, but I’ll certainly be watching to see how things unfold for them in the future.

If you’re not familiar with the pay-what-you-want pricing model, it’s exactly what it sounds like – allowing consumers to decide how much they want to spend for your music. This model first got a lot of attention thanks to how Radiohead released their last full-length album, In Rainbows. Other artists have followed suit, including Girl Talk and Nine Inch Nails.