I never thought of it that way before. But today I had a chance to read this article at Wired about the band Wilco. Stanford Law Professor Laurence Lessig, one of the first law professors to break the digital sound barrier with his use of it, quotes band member Jeff Tweedy as saying: “The audience is our collaborator. We should be encouraging their collaboration, not treating them like thieves.” Wilco has apparently made it’s very name by encouraging usage under some circumstances on the net. Perhaps other bands should follow the model and learn from what was and is being done.
Most recording companies are investing heavily in Digital Rights Management (DRM) or similar write-prohibiting technologies. Mike Davidson explains in three simple lines how silly that effort is, as a few simple clicks with Apple I-Tunes Software get you a usable MP3, totally free of the DRM. That does not excuse or justify using that product without paying for it, or sharing it illegally. Maybe I am naive, but I think most people pay for what they use. The people causing the great losses are skilled pro’s and unaffected by these steps. Most people do not intentionally break law.
