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sorry if this is a bit ranty: We should be able to freely sharing digital media as virtual-goods are immediate to duplicate. Instead we've created artificial b

sorry if this is a bit ranty: We should be able to freely sharing digital media as virtual-goods are immediate to duplicate. Instead we've created artificial barriers (drm, paywalls, streaming services, etc). The only reason these barriers are allowed, is a dying industry is trying to stay relevant. The economic impact of the media industry loss would be great, and the media industry does still have a place in our system, but they need to let go of distribution. It no longer makes sense to have laws protecting the sharing of media, but we are propping up a false representation of our economic system by trying to do so.

Godel_unicode 9y ago
The value in the music industry has never been in the duplication (or do you really think CDs cost $20 to make while AOL was simultaneously giving them away??). The value is, and always has been, in the talent of the people making the music. DRM is that industry trying to ensure that people who create amazing content are still interested in doing so. You are essentially arguing that we should let everyone steal since stealing is easy.
- CaptSpify 9y ago
  Not at all. I'm arguing that paying artist per album is a stupid model that doesn't reflect reality. The only reason we pay per album is that it made sense when distribution was hard. Now that distribution is a solved problem, we need to adjust our economic model to match.
brokencode 9y ago
How do you envision media companies making money if people don't have to pay for their product once it's produced? It's not like most people are going to pay Disney ahead of time for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, even though a lot of people will (inexplicably) pay to see it in theaters.
- CaptSpify 9y ago
  I'm not sure how, but I'm very sure that our current model makes no sense. The cost of producing media is all up-front now. It used to be that it cost a lot up front, and a lot to distribute. We would charge people on the distribution side, because that was easier. Now that there is no need for a distribution system, we need to find better funding systems for those companies, rather than relying on the physical media mindset. People are still paying a lot of money right now to fund media even though they can get it for free. It's not that people won't or don't want to pay, it's that we're paying on the wrong side of an outdated economic model.

Godel_unicode 9y ago

The value in the music industry has never been in the duplication (or do you really think CDs cost $20 to make while AOL was simultaneously giving them away??). The value is, and always has been, in the talent of the people making the music. DRM is that industry trying to ensure that people who create amazing content are still interested in doing so. You are essentially arguing that we should let everyone steal since stealing is easy.

CaptSpify 9y ago
Not at all. I'm arguing that paying artist per album is a stupid model that doesn't reflect reality. The only reason we pay per album is that it made sense when distribution was hard. Now that distribution is a solved problem, we need to adjust our economic model to match.

brokencode 9y ago

How do you envision media companies making money if people don't have to pay for their product once it's produced? It's not like most people are going to pay Disney ahead of time for the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, even though a lot of people will (inexplicably) pay to see it in theaters.

CaptSpify 9y ago
I'm not sure how, but I'm very sure that our current model makes no sense. The cost of producing media is all up-front now. It used to be that it cost a lot up front, and a lot to distribute. We would charge people on the distribution side, because that was easier. Now that there is no need for a distribution system, we need to find better funding systems for those companies, rather than relying on the physical media mindset. People are still paying a lot of money right now to fund media even though they can get it for free. It's not that people won't or don't want to pay, it's that we're paying on the wrong side of an outdated economic model.