tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post8252356251750733762..comments2022-11-25T11:31:59.883-08:00Comments on Curious Inversions: Music PiracyJeremy Ricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-80123994328245057722008-12-19T01:09:00.000-08:002008-12-19T01:09:00.000-08:00Hi it's the second time I read this "selling water...Hi it's the second time I read this "selling water" comparison so I'm wondering what you're all getting wrong?<BR/><BR/>French people don't sell packaged tap water, it's water originating from mountain springs and flowing through so many anciant rocks it becomes filled with a lot of mineral elements which are proved to be of medical use.<BR/><BR/>Also I don't know what the situation is in the USA but water distribution service is not free either in here and nobody dares to argue with that fact seing it's purified and cleaned by many facilities before being distributed...so it has a cost as a service...<BR/><BR/>Now back on topic, Peter didn't say piracy was shoplifting I think you got his point wrong :p<BR/><BR/>Interesting post nonetheless.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13367934999908382760noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-5163793381227291022008-12-17T06:45:00.000-08:002008-12-17T06:45:00.000-08:00Hey, Peter. Surprised you found this post before I...Hey, Peter. Surprised you found this post before I commented on your blog. ;) Thanks for replying.<BR/><BR/>So:<BR/><BR/>Point taken... but I still think the analogy is a harmful one, even from the POV of the business.<BR/><BR/>I didn't say "selling the fruits of your musical labors" was misguided, I said selling <I>MP3s</I> was. I was being pretty careful to say it that way, too.<BR/><BR/>You're right: the sales transaction is not at fault. It's just that the focus is on the MP3, where it doesn't belong. As I said, there are a myriad ways to make money as an artist that don't involve MP3 sales. Relying on MP3 sales is... well... <I>stupid</I>: people are going to find the MP3s for free, and it's not something we're going to prevent. Those of us who actually <I>care</I> about the artist behind the music will buy them, sure. (<I>I</I> certainly do.) But I would be just as willing--more so--to buy the physical CD, or pay a few bucks to get access to an insider blog, or buy a pre-release, or go to a gig, or... well, you get the point. In fact, <A HREF="http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php" REL="nofollow">here</A> is my personal favourite idea for musicians to make money.<BR/><BR/>You can still make a profit.Jeremy Ricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12256074521855601742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4225060795189260335.post-53050135359898651222008-12-16T21:17:00.000-08:002008-12-16T21:17:00.000-08:00Well, look, I think you have to look at the contex...Well, look, I think you have to look at the context of what I was saying. People use "stealing music is like shoplifting" to say "don't steal music." That's a pointless and one-dimensional argument, I agree.<BR/><BR/>What I was saying is that "music is like shoplifting" from the point of view of someone in the music business. And, in fact, if you really examine that analogy, you reach two conlusions:<BR/><BR/>1. It's a kind of loss that doesn't have a material cost associated with it. (Now, wait a minute -- that's a *good* thing for the person in the music business, relative to retail loss prevention.)<BR/><BR/>2. You would expect someone in this business to consider preventing theft, but (and this is the root of my analogy), it will *always* come second to actually selling something in the first place.<BR/><BR/>And that comes back to your argument. The real issue here is whether you can sell the item in the first place.<BR/><BR/>So, what I don't get from what you're saying is what exactly is misguided or *abusive* about selling a download? You've decided to give your music away. Fine - great. I've played gigs with no cover. <BR/><BR/>Someone else might decide to charge $1 for their album. Or they might charge $50 and mail people some handcrafted case or an open-source MP3 player kit.<BR/><BR/>What's wrong with that, exactly? I assume you mean the industry is abusive - fine. But the fundamental issue of selling music is perfectly reasonable.<BR/><BR/>Musicians get an absurd amount of flak for being businesspeople, and that to me is misguided and abusive. We're in a capitalist society in which we have to be able to make money to buy food and pay rent and buy health insurance. I don't think selling the fruits of your musical labors is somehow unethical. If they sign away those rights to a label that ultimately takes all the money and gives them none, well, that's obviously a problem. But it's not the sales transaction that's at fault.<BR/><BR/>Jeez, we're in the middle of an economic crisis that started because people were selling repackaged debt. I don't think DRM-free MP3 sales is a great sin, somehow.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06049687384110830999noreply@blogger.com