It seems the Internet just doesn’t want to become one big music retailer.

Shawn Fanning’s follow-up to Napster, Sno-Cap, is floundering. Sno-Cap is laying off over half its workforce, and the company is up for sale.

The Lunatics feel Sno-Cap’s naive concept was well-intentioned at best. The noble cause of enabling musicians to sell their music didn’t translate to anything popular or profitable. Sno-Cap’s lack of acceptance proves a music sale is trickier than just opening a storefront.

The Lunatics know music industry types who are enjoying Mr. Fanning’s failure. To them, Shawn was the bogeyman. He’s credited with designing the P2P technology responsible for the illegal downloading that ended their CD gravy train. But these industry professionals realize a music sale is more than just finding some musicians and telling them they are a store.

Yo, Shawn: Musicians make music. What do they know about running a store?

Music industry professionals spend their entire careers trying to sell music. After filtering for ability and creativity, The Lunatics realize certain musicians need nurturing, and with the correct recording and exposure they can sell music.

The Lunatics appreciate the kind of art-oriented “music man” that can create a music sale. Remember, these visionaries of yesteryear like Sam Phillips, Berry Gordy, Chris Blackwell, etc. are responsible for most of the music that sells, even today.