I'm arguing for the portion of the bit-arranging that the publisher (or record label or movie studio) is responsible for. I think we tend to under-estimate that

I'm arguing for the portion of the bit-arranging that the publisher (or record label or movie studio) is responsible for. I think we tend to under-estimate that, probably for the simple reason that it is invisible to us. I'm not about to argue that they deserve every last cent they demand, though. Only that pricing should be dragged down kicking and streaming by what the market is willing to bear for the content and not encouraged to free-fall until it barely covers the cost of the bit-moving. As much as I may want cheap books, I can sympathize with a publisher's desire to not get bitch-slapped by the invisible hand. (Also: I'm usually opposed to meta-discussion about moderation, but I did want you to know that I am not the ass-hat that voted you to zero.)