"this claim still ignores my point, which is that the fact that there is nonzero quantity demanded at zero price tells you very little about how much is being r

"this claim still ignores my point, which is that the fact that there is nonzero quantity demanded at zero price tells you very little about how much is being removed from the pool at non-zero prices" But again, that's not the point. Indeed, asking about the amount of dilution assumes the dilution is taking place, and moreover, when it comes to artists and/or formats with established track records, demand prediction isn't a game of wild guesses. The ability to estimate, if not predict, demand is essential to the budgeting and capitalization of programs. So if you're aware that dilution is taking place at scale, you can approximate what you would have taken in w/o having to deal with the skim.