Re: [microsound] mp3 redux

["jan.l" <jl@xxxxxxx>]

Why should anyone need to report their income or lifestyle to you? Why do y=
ou need this information? Do you see yourself as material for at strong lea=
der (maybe in uniform?) that knows everyone elses best and you will then de=
cide who gets what and which lifestyle you think they should adher to?

Personally I dislike shorts. Lets join forces. I can shoot anyone wearing s=
horts and you can beat artists until you get all their income statements an=
d decide what they can have for dinner tonight and which one are allowed to=
 have a car or wife & children.

All these rationalisations for stealing IP are becoming more & more ridicul=
ous. Why not just relax, look at yourself in the mirror every morning and s=
ay "I am a greedy little thief" and then to hell with it and continue savin=
g your money by copying all the stuff you want. Heck, even the RIAA might g=
o for that deal ;=3D)

You are trying wildly to separate out certain people/activities in society =
as some kind of paria - free for everyone to hunt down and capitalize from.=
 In this case composers/musicians. Next week? Taxi drivers? Homosexuals? Mu=
slims?

Is it o.k. to do just anything because technology makes it possible? Is it =
o.k. to shoot liberals just because we have the technolgy (guns)? Is it o.k=
=2E for every pervert to listen and watch their neighbors make love just b=
ecause the technology to secretly spy on them is available? Is it o.k. for =
Dow to ignore Bhopal just because they can get away with it?

Still you *can* have your file-sharing within todays system without making =
everyone using it a greedy little person. Simply make your case to the arti=
sts/composers/musicians and if it is as good as you say it is .. they will =
come in droves and happily surrender their IP to anyone who needs free cont=
ent to improve their site-profits (morpheus, kazaa and whatever sites there=
 are). Some may not give up their IP rights and work for nothing  -  but wh=
y not just ignore those few and let them have their way - just let them gru=
mpily sit in their corner guarding their stuff.

>There's a moral point that continually comes up regarding downloading =96 =
support
>the indie labels if you download. This indie boosterism doesn't do it for =
me.
>As much as I'd like to lend a hand to other artists, this capitalist world
>forces me to be more practical. There is an idea that artists should be ab=
le to
>earn enough money from their creative endeavors to support themselves and =
their
>families. I would love to be a part of that (sometimes questionably) envia=
ble
>group; however, I doubt many people aside from the superstars and other
>major-label-supported performers are doing so. To those list members with =
CDs
>out, remind us if the income from sales of your CDs is your only or major
>source of income. If it is, would you be kind enough to tell us not your
>income, but a self-assessment of your standard of living (lower-class by
>American standards and proud of it, comfortably middle-class, rich-as-hell=
 and
>not done yet)?=20
>
>The continuing death of labels (such as Strictly Rhythm
>http://www.discjockey101.com/oct2002.html) means that labels aren't keepin=
g up
>with the times. They are offering an obsolete product. Some people continu=
e to
>promote packaging (case, liner notes, hand-drawn/printed art) as a
>justification for the production of CDs. However, it's arguable that these=
 are
>contributors to environmental problems. The mining of the aluminum at the =
core
>of the CD destroys wildlife habitats, the solvents used in sputtering the
>aluminum disc with plastic are toxic, the use of the plastic in the cases
>supports Bush's oil empire, the cardboard in the sleeves brings down more
>trees, the manufacturing process uses too much electricity which wastes
>resources, the selling of the CD in stores through distributors promotes a=
n
>inefficient delivery system, and so on. Why buy such a product when it is
>available, minus all drawbacks, for free on the web? There is the moral
>argument that I should buy it because not to is stealing. However, if buyi=
ng it
>means supporting and affirming all of the aforementioned ills, wouldn't
>downloading be at least in morally neutral territory?
>
>The only arguments I hear on various lists are moral ones. Why do all writ=
ers
>ignore the economic side of this, imho, primarily economic issue? What is =
the
>product that an artist can provide that is compelling enough to buy? I hav=
e a
>well for my water; why would I pay the city for their water system? Live
>performing is one aspect. Jello Biafra moans about the
>artists-as-traveling-minstrel, and given the poor environmental conditions=
 of
>most venues (cigarette smoke, drunken spectators, competition with the
>meat-market background), I can see his point. Those of you who are selling=
 CDs
>and performing live, what is the breakdown, percentage-wise, in the income=
?
>Steve Albini writes (http://www.negativland.com/albini.html) that for most
>major label bands, the CD is already a vehicle for promoting a tour (the o=
nly
>real source of income).  Interestingly, farmers have been facing a severe
>downturn in the price of their commodity. Without subsidies, farming in Am=
erica
>isn't profitable. The same goes for American manufacturing. In our world,
>everything has become too easy to make and so there is too much of it. Cor=
e
>economic issues are being challenged in ways that haven't been before.
>Capitalism relies on scarcity and unlimited resources (sounds absurd from =
the
>start, doesn't it?). We are rapidly facing the end of scarcity (at least f=
or
>many information-based products) and the end of unlimited resources (oil, =
land,
>wood, others).=20
>
>So the real question is: how can artists make a living at art in this econ=
omic
>situation? For me, donations aren't a viable answer; I already find the
>Salvation Army guy at Christmas to be a nuisance. What is a compelling and
>morally-superior product that an artist can produce to make a reasonable
>income? While it's clear that the problems with capitalism are long-standi=
ng,
>it doesn't appear that other viable systems are forthcoming. I realize it'=
s a
>little OT, but can anyone recommend recent writing (preferably web-based)
>discussing these problems? Anyone know any outstanding articles on gift
>economics?
>
>Renick=20
>
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