[ExI] 'Copyright'

[Henry Rivera]

To me, this comes down to Spike’s observations about a free market being true but only while we are still under a Capitalist system. Artists have to work within that system if they want to make a living as an artist. 

I’ll submit many if not most artists start by making their work for free. Go take a look around SoundCloud for example. Artists there are hoping to get recognized and “sponsored,” if you will, by a record label for example or noticed by a celebrity who will post about their track. I’m part of a community where I live centered around a gallery where over 30 local artists sell their works. These are painters, sculptors, photographers, glass blowers, and the like. All but maybe one of them earn a living other than selling their art. They all have their jobs probably closely related to their art, but they are not living off their art. I think that is likely the norm as an artist. 

So artists will continue to produce what they do, but a Capitalist system confines how they’re going to operate. If there were something like universal basic income or more widespread State sponsoring of artists, then you might see a different process playing out. And in a non-Capitalist system you will definitely see a different process play out. But there will still be artists producing. 

We are seeing that digital   information is more difficult to treat as property or capital. Infinite identical copies can be made and easily distributed. NFTs are an attempt to change that. But it seems technology (evolution) is running up against a Capitalist paradigm that will continue to have trouble containing it. The cat’s out of the bag. Artists are adapting in some cases. Musical artist for example largely count on touring income, merch sales, and patreon contributions in part to survive, at least once one gets away from the major labels. 

Speaking for myself as a DJ and producer, I’ve made more money on my side business renting sound gear than as an artist. Spotify pays me 5-10 cents per play. I’m not getting rich that way. And I make more as a psychologist than many musical artists anyway. I self-fund my art at this point. I’m fortunate in that way. Nothing will stop any true artist from producing art—although the Taliban and the Chinese government certainly try. It often take death to stop an artist. 

-Henry

> On Aug 21, 2021, at 4:36 PM, spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Ben
> Zaiboc via extropy-chat
> Subject: Re: [ExI] 'Copyright'
> 
> On 20/08/2021 21:12, Spike wrote:
>>> ... OK cool so what if. we transition to a time when anything that can be
>> digitized is free to anyone who will download it...
> 
> 
>> ...This is what the abundance economy is supposed to solve. People will
> still get together in groups to create complex things, just not in order to
> earn a living, but because they want to collaborate with others to create
> something good. If not getting paid resulted in people working alone, the
> whole FOSS movement wouldn't even exist, but it does, and that's even
> without an abundance economy.
> 
>> ...So, we transition not only to a time when digital goods are free, but to
> a time when people don't have to work in order to live.
> 
>> ...Ben
> 
> _______________________________________________
> 
> 
> Hi Ben, ja but the economy of abundance doesn't apply to some things, such
> as raw materials, energy and land.  Regardless of how easily we can
> manufacture anything we want, there are fixed quantities of some things.
> 
> spike
> 
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