In Reply to: RE: If you're right, three things will likely happen -- none of which are Emily's fault. posted by David Smith on June 19, 2012 at 19:24:49:
Alas, I guess we just won't see eye to eye on this. Music isn't drugs or prostitution, where a large amount of black market activity is inevitable because a legal market isn't available. Music is an industry where the value-adding function, and therefore the profit center, has shifted too quickly and too dramatically for companies to immediately adjust. But in time they will adjust.
If Emily doesn't see value in her music downloads, it's not because they aren't tangible physical products. Neither are her internet and cell phone services, and her Mac and iPhone would be worthless if she didn't pay big money for those services each month.
She doesn't see much value because she's right -- there is little value added in mere replication and distribution any more. The value added is now in internet, cell phone, cable and satellite communications. That is why those industries have begun to take over, and IMO will completely take over, music and video distribution. And when they've done that job properly, believe me, Emily will be happily paying for all of her music, whether directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly.
I'm not saying Emily is being ethical in using pirated downloads. I'm saying that were are in an odd transition period where a dying, increasingly obsolete industry is unsuccessfully trying to defend its old turf when inevitably, the game is already moving to the turf where today's profits are to be made. Blaming the consumer and trying to defend an old and now inefficient and obsolete mode of distribution only delays and increases the cost of transition.
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Follow Ups
- Blaming the consumer - rbolaw 08:25:35 06/20/12 (17)
- No, blaming the thief. - David Smith 09:45:09 06/20/12 (16)
- Sorry I can't get my point across to you. - rbolaw 11:10:29 06/20/12 (15)
- I understand your point fine - David Smith 14:10:23 06/20/12 (14)
- Then you understand - rbolaw 19:32:09 06/20/12 (8)
- Nope - David Smith 19:53:42 06/20/12 (7)
- The technology is already there - rbolaw 06:33:43 06/21/12 (6)
- You still don't understand - David Smith 07:12:38 06/21/12 (5)
- I do understand. - rbolaw 08:43:49 06/21/12 (4)
- No encryption-beating necessary - David Smith 09:14:16 06/21/12 (3)
- RE: No encryption-beating necessary - rbolaw 11:34:27 06/21/12 (2)
- RE: No encryption-beating necessary - David Smith 12:14:19 06/21/12 (1)
- RE: No encryption-beating necessary - GEO 09:00:32 06/22/12 (0)
- This is why I pay for my music and don't give it away - GEO 19:14:07 06/20/12 (4)
- The thing is - David Smith 19:40:17 06/20/12 (3)
- Virtually every aspect of our society is corrupt and lacking what we'd call ethics. - Rick W 08:59:00 06/21/12 (1)
- I'm sure you're right about not eliminating it - David Smith 09:21:49 06/21/12 (0)
- RE: The thing is - GEO 05:25:17 06/21/12 (0)