well today someone mentioned in chat that with open source, all the middle men would be taken out (ie bittorrent, we no longer have to pay for media)
Then… where exactly would the money come from to create media? For example, movies and films, are made with investments and then repaid through how well they do with selling at theatres and dvds and other merchandise. With bittorrent and piracy, no one goes to the theatres and buy dvds, so where would that money come from? (Or in the case with music, no one buys cds anymore, and only a percentage of people buy from iTunes.) It’s great for newcomers, because they can get famous really easily, but what then when they want to sell their music? Would they even sell music anymore or would everything just be free for everyone?
I think I need more clarification on this, maybe because I’m thinking of it in a captialistic perspective? I mean I’m no saint or anything, but I also still buy media. I can see how it’s powerful to open share for promotional purposes, but how does it work for selling purposes?
As artists it’s imporant to love sharing your work, but you also need to make a living selling that work. So if it’s freely shared everywhere, where does the selling happen?
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Hey Julie,
Thank you for your reply on my wordpress. Sorry it took my a while to reply. But here we go.
After your comment, it does got me thinking over the issue of profit making. I mean money is not everything, BUT it is the essential thing I can’t deny that. But I think what make Doctorow success is the fact that he trust his reader. (I know… it sounds bit cliche) He gives his trust and expecting nothing in return, and I think his reader takes that and willing to give their support out to him. Whether or not it is giving out money or something else. I don’t know if this is a bit utopian thinking or. But that is ONLY my point of view. Because I would do the same thing if someone trust me in the first place without expecting anything from me. I would love to give out my support to whoever that might be. What do you think?
No I totally get that, it just seems a bit uhhh what’s the word I’m looking for…..not (naive) but something along the same meaning. Like I understand how a reader may be so grateful to support, however there’s also so many more people who never do? (Those that just go “ohhh free!”) Maybe it’s a negative way to think about it.. Though it’s definitely a very good-hearted way. I agree too, money isn’t everything but it is a undeniable necessity in this society.
No one knows how this will all work out. But it is clear that with the ability to make infinite and perfect copies for free, the old model will not work. Music is easy. It’s cheap to make and you can give it away and ask for donations like radiohead. Movies are different because of the costs involved. I think product placement will be one way and I see that on HBO. And you can still get ppl into theatres to get your $$$ back. Perhaps the age of huge mega million box office smash hits is over. Or subscriptions might be the way to go. You can ask “how will this work” all you want but they are going to have to figure out how to monetize somehow because we are not going back to VHS tapes. It’s too late to stop it. We have to work with this environment, this new economy of free culture because that is what we have now, like it or not.
Hey Julie,
I talked with one of my friend, and she remind me that Doctorow also earned money from having lectures, conference, and advise. She said that’s how mainly most of these people make money. I think so too, no?
He also give his books away on the internet with a click button to Amazon and he sells tons of books that way. People start reading on their computer, get fed up and order the book from Amazon.
He also lets people in other parts of the world download his book, print it and sell it. He gets a small cut which is money he would not see anyway.