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Originally Posted by horn
now that's fine, you might even get a few people signing up, but that isn't the same as posting here for all to see and then saying people have to pay a few months after making the posts. The same goes for the mario example.
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Let's take the GD example. You're saying that a retrospective request for payment would be unreasonable. OK, I dig that. So henceforth please note : Anyone who reads posts made by myself after this point (BST 23:24 on 25th October 2007) must pay me £10 per post. Consider this due warning.
(Would that be reasonable?)
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Out of interest do you consider any business model holding intellectual property as a valid premise as loopy, or is it just the music industry?
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Most business models rely on intellectual property in some form, even if it's just the protocols or procedures they've developed through the years. Not the sort of thing that shows up on balance sheets maybe, but certainly something which helps to "produce value" in a sense. That's not really the problem. I've always said that you're free to keep secrets, no-one is stopping you from doing that. The issue is releasing these things (be that songs, or jokes, or patents) into the public sphere and then expecting the state to help regulate who is allowed to laugh at a joke, or listen to a particular song.
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If an artist has spent time and money creating CDs to sell to people, is it fair that only 5 people buy their CDs (barely covering the overheads) and then 100 people get it for free? Perhaps; it depends if you are more concerned with spreading music to the masses or making a bit of cash. If these 100 people get your music without your permission, you have no say in that. So all those musicians who potentially could create earth shattering music - yet can't afford to as they can't afford all the costs of creating music - won't make any.
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Does fairness come into it though? If we're trying to establish a fair economic system then I can think of a great many reforms required before we get to worry about this particular issue. And besides, you're mainly raising a practical issue, not an ethical one.
And pragmatically speaking, CD sales are a lousy way of funding new music creation. Such a low amount goes on that that if this was a charity it'd be one of those ones which regularly get investigated by the Charity Commission. There's estimates of as low as 3-10%, depending on the label. If you want to fund the creation of new music then on a practical level you'd be much better off supporting live music in your area, making donations to bands you like directly, or by supporting local schemes to offer studio/equipment time to kids for low/no cost (write to your local councillor and MPs on this anyway, it might help distract the kids from stabbing each other).