Quote:
Originally Posted by Tuna
True, but it's also the case that if there's over supply at a cheap price (for instance, freely available pirate copies of books), then the public perception is that the product is 'worth less'. "Why should I pay so much when I can get a different book (or even the same book) for free?"
The problem then is that, if authors and publishers cannot cover their prices, they will choose not to waste their time.
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Other equally occurring instances are promotional books from competing authors, public domain works,and free or inexpensive books by amateur authors.
The recording industry realized early on what promotional and amateur competition would eventually do to their business model, and spent millions trying to shut the original MP3.com (then a site for indie artists) down through the courts in an effort to stop the inevitable.
They failed but it was an understandable (if unethical) attempt.
Writing is now up against the same dynamic, and it is very closely paralleling the moves which the recording industry made.