File-Sharing Websites: The Solution

[kentmagus]

File-sharing sites

Printing Press and Gutenberg Bible

Antagonists: OMG! If you read books published by the printing press, you'll throw the Engraver's Guild out of work!

Eventually: The local library now has requestable copies of books.

Cassettes

Antagonists: OMG! if you buy recordable cassettes, you'll throw all those songwriters and live musicians out of work!Songwriter's Association of
America.

Eventually: cassette/radio clocks allowing you to record as many songs as you wanted from the radio.

File-sharing websites.

Antagonists: OMG! If you download files, you'll throw all those authors and artists out of work!

Eventually: ??? Who knows. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

The fix for record companies is pretty simple. Throw in souvenirs that can't be downloaded. For example, movies giving out imprinted 3D glasses for 3D
movies or a shirt with my favorite band's picture on it. Have a different picture for each CD one releases. Plus it's free advertising for the record
companies when worn.

[Ayiekie]

I love false analogies!

[robkelk]

How is it false? In each case, media became at least an order of magnitude more available than it was before the named innovation...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[ECSNorway]

I hate to actually agree with Ayie on anything in this particular sub-forum, but... I kinda do.

In each previous case, there was labor producing a product for which money was exchanged. It was part of the economy.

The digital era allows that entire process to be bypassed. It's as if the printing press let you wave a magic wand and give out infinite amounts of books
to anyone who wanted one, with no effort on your part or theirs - no labor of production, no exchange of money for goods.

With the printing press, you have a lot of economic input and output.

With digital copying, you have none.
--
Sucrose Octanitrate.
Proof positive that with sufficient motivation, you can make anything explode.

[kentmagus]

http://www.wired.com/ente...mf_morris?currentPage=all

"Universal is also experimenting with the subscription-based plans that many - including the new cohead of Columbia Records, Rick Rubin - see as the wave
of the future. The idea is to charge customers a fixed monthly fee (which could get tacked onto their cell phone, cable, or Internet bill) in return for access
to unlimited music from a given label and, say, the opportunity to hear new recordings a week before their general release. Morris is currently championing a
version called Total Music."