A Philosophical Question
This is a quote by one of my friends from a while ago:
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One of the more interesting comments I read on this issue was in a Slashdot article about rampant disregard for copyright in China. There, an artist can give a convert at night, and the next morning on the street there will be CDs available of the concert at a price a little above the cost of media. To survive, an artist must tour, perform many concerts a year, get a decent portion of the gate receipts, and sell merchandise.
In North America, under the RIAA, an artist who signs a record deal finds that all the money he makes is clawed back by the label to cover the costs of production. In that rare case where the artist is successful and actually makes back the cost of production, all sorts of promotional charges suddenly come out of the woodwork. So, in order to survive, an artist must tour, perform many concerts a year, get a decent portion of the gate receipts, and sell merchandise.
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Now, who do you think are the real criminals here? The Chinese pirates, or the RIAA? Hint: If you said the Chinese pirates, you're wrong.
Discuss.
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One of the more interesting comments I read on this issue was in a Slashdot article about rampant disregard for copyright in China. There, an artist can give a convert at night, and the next morning on the street there will be CDs available of the concert at a price a little above the cost of media. To survive, an artist must tour, perform many concerts a year, get a decent portion of the gate receipts, and sell merchandise.
In North America, under the RIAA, an artist who signs a record deal finds that all the money he makes is clawed back by the label to cover the costs of production. In that rare case where the artist is successful and actually makes back the cost of production, all sorts of promotional charges suddenly come out of the woodwork. So, in order to survive, an artist must tour, perform many concerts a year, get a decent portion of the gate receipts, and sell merchandise.
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Now, who do you think are the real criminals here? The Chinese pirates, or the RIAA? Hint: If you said the Chinese pirates, you're wrong.
Discuss.