4 ms·

Content producer makes decent money. Middlemen (aka "Internet companies", HN) freak out. News at 11.

j_baker 16y ago
There's a difference between making money and highway robbery. And note that we aren't talking about content producers making money. We're talking about middlemen who serve very little purpose anymore making far more money than they deserve.
- dustingetz 16y ago
  nobody "deserves" anything.
  - j_baker 16y ago
    I'm sure we could have an interesting philosophical or religious debate over that subject, but it's not really relevant to my point. My point is that record labels take far more out of the system than they put in. That's bad both from a moral standpoint of what people deserve and a pragmatic standpoint of efficiency.
    - dustingetz 16y ago
      http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172809 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172809
    - rick888 16y ago
      According to you they take more out, but the truth is, they put in just as much. Artists willingly go to labels because most of the time, they either don't have the resources or just aren't interested in dealing with everything that has to do with the music business (it is and always has been a business). They just want to concentrate on what they do best: playing music. Unless you outlaw business, there will always be labels because there will always be an artist that doesn't know how to deal with the business side of the industry. They also might want connections that they otherwise wouldn't be able to have. Venture capitalists serve the same purpose as a record label, yet this entire forum is based around the industry and nobody here seems to have a problem with them.
  - megaman821 16y ago
    You deserved whatever you can get, but you should only get up to the value you provide.
    - dustingetz 16y ago
      my point was the market determines the value of their services. as such, consumer feelings about what is "fair" may be misguided. I say 'may' because certain issues like, say, the value of healthcare, are too complex for me to judge.

There's a difference between making money and highway robbery. And note that we aren't talking about content producers making money. We're talking about middlemen who serve very little purpose anymore making far more money than they deserve.

dustingetz 16y ago
nobody "deserves" anything.
- j_baker 16y ago
  I'm sure we could have an interesting philosophical or religious debate over that subject, but it's not really relevant to my point. My point is that record labels take far more out of the system than they put in. That's bad both from a moral standpoint of what people deserve and a pragmatic standpoint of efficiency.
  - dustingetz 16y ago
    http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172809 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172809
  - rick888 16y ago
    According to you they take more out, but the truth is, they put in just as much. Artists willingly go to labels because most of the time, they either don't have the resources or just aren't interested in dealing with everything that has to do with the music business (it is and always has been a business). They just want to concentrate on what they do best: playing music. Unless you outlaw business, there will always be labels because there will always be an artist that doesn't know how to deal with the business side of the industry. They also might want connections that they otherwise wouldn't be able to have. Venture capitalists serve the same purpose as a record label, yet this entire forum is based around the industry and nobody here seems to have a problem with them.
- megaman821 16y ago
  You deserved whatever you can get, but you should only get up to the value you provide.
  - dustingetz 16y ago
    my point was the market determines the value of their services. as such, consumer feelings about what is "fair" may be misguided. I say 'may' because certain issues like, say, the value of healthcare, are too complex for me to judge.