It is not either or. Yes, Paul Graham has advised not doing music start ups because of the stupidity of the entrenched monopolies. But making money by forward

It is not either or. Yes, Paul Graham has advised not doing music start ups because of the stupidity of the entrenched monopolies. But making money by forward thinking social change and distruption is at the heart of hnews. Everyone goes to the movies. All fans spend money on art. It is well documented that those who spend the most on music also listen to a lot more than strict copyright & DRM allows. Arguably the problem is not enjoying culture but poorly thought out legislation written by lobbies for monopolies. Radio play and Libraries both faced the same problem and monopoly lobbying but stronger government then legislated enforced licenses and re-distribution agencies. To the direct benefit of those monopolies and society. In fact every new technology is lobbied against. Portrayed as destroying the Music/ Movie industry, yet turns out to be a huge new market when they are dragged kicking and screaming into the present. The sheet music industry lobbied against records. The record industry lobbied against radio. The film industry lobbied against the VHS market. TV lobbied against cable. Against mp3, against online itself, &c. Every single time they were wrong about the future of their own industry. Monopolies are bad for their own markets & society. These laws are protectionism, the first thing Adam Smith objects to in 'The Wealth of Nations'. Not everyone who reads hnews is wealthy, many are self-educated precisely because they could hustle access to information. These monopolies screw over artists more than anyone.