Quote:
Originally Posted by ahi
Except they did.
Most of, if not all, the works of the greatest composers of classical music were rampantly copied and internationally performed without, in the vast majority of cases, any compensation to them and nobody gave a damn, not even the composers themselves.
- Ahi
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Not that composers are held in high esteem today. And you can still sing any song yourself in the bathtub, no copyright involved there. I mentioned composers because they were valued higher than performing artists in the past. They are not a good example for modern times. Well, the great composers were kept like show animals by the royalty of that time and paid a salary. Or else they increased their popularity through performances and got more orders. Their consent to copy was given. To a certain extent Europeans have a similar system. There you pay insane prices for blank media (DVD, CD) and some of the proceeds go into a fund for artists. Even for media that you use to backup your computer! I am strongly opposed to such a system, because I don't want the government to decide where my money goes, I want to support those that I believe are "worthy". I do that by paying for what I read, listen to, etc.
I agree with you that today's artists
could look for different sources of income (Beethoven sweaters and mugs, anyone?), but I don't see the battle as lost yet. Why not educate people that paying for a book or piece of music in digital form is just as normal as buying a pbook? Why do you see that as wrong? Sure, some will copy it. Some drive 100 miles past a school with children present. You want an expensive phone, yes you can steal it. But most people will opt to do the right thing, and that is enough. The problem I see now that the idea is taking hold that digital works "should" be free, rather than "I can get it for free illegally."
The only reasonable way to go "free" is advertising. So for those who would enjoy an ebook with a half page ad on every page, I am sure Google will accomodate you soon enough. And I don't believe that authors will get a better deal this way.