Matthew Hunter <matthew at infodancer.org> writes: > On Tue, Dec 10, 2002 at 10:14:56AM -0500, Steve Simmons <scs at di.org> wrote: > > Music piracy worked the same way until recently. But now anybody can > > cut a CD, and it's rife. > > Anyone can dupe a tape (audio or VCR). You haven't noticed the > movie industry starving, have you? This is where the difference between digital and analog copying becomes vital. I've seen 3rd-generation VHS dubs. I know why nobody wants them -- and certainly not later generations. Whereas the digital media copies are identical to the originals. That really does make a difference; analog copying is self-limiting, it can't spread like a pyramid scheme because the copies degrade. > > Add on Napster and its descendents, and you > > have a huge subculture that's (IMHO) ripping off artists right and left. > > And buying CDs right and left. Which makes the allocation of money to the artists strangely random -- not a really good approach. Probably favors big names over smaller names, too, and being a "medium-sized" band is already a losing proposition. > > I quiz my son and his napsterizing peers, and not a one of them has ever > > made a serious attempt to pay an artist for tunes downloaded. Yes, in > > most cases it's probably not possible -- but they've never even tried. > > How many CDs do your son and his peers buy? How many more could > they afford? Very likely you're right -- that they're maxed out. -- David Dyer-Bennet, dd-b at dd-b.net / http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/ John Dyer-Bennet 1915-2002 Memorial Site http://john.dyer-bennet.net Dragaera mailing lists, see http://dragaera.info