"Those few currently dependent on royalties could instead receive a salary, grant or bursary, just as most scientists do..." Who'd pay that salary? Someone mentioned taxpayers, but how would that work? In the U.S., artists can't even convince the American people that the NEA budget of $100 million per year is worth it, now this writer suggests that someone (presumable the government) fund ALL creators formerly protected by IP laws? It'll be a cold day... I'm a composer of classical music, which means that there is no company that I can work for. Yes, classical music existed before the advent of contemporary IP laws. But composers like Mozart and Beethoven were ripped off by unscrupulous publishers throughout their entire careers. The fact is that in the 18th and 19th centuries, the church and wealthy patrons fostered creativity and supported the arts with a passion. Today, no such class of people exists, at least not in America. The authors claim that few people rely on royalties is simply false. ALL professional concert music composers earn large percentages of their incomes from performance and publication royalties. This generally amounts to very little money because there is very little market for what we do. But don't deny us the fruits of our labor, because that's simply all we have.
Slashdot Mirror
"Those few currently dependent on royalties could instead receive a salary, grant or bursary, just as most scientists do..." Who'd pay that salary? Someone mentioned taxpayers, but how would that work? In the U.S., artists can't even convince the American people that the NEA budget of $100 million per year is worth it, now this writer suggests that someone (presumable the government) fund ALL creators formerly protected by IP laws? It'll be a cold day... I'm a composer of classical music, which means that there is no company that I can work for. Yes, classical music existed before the advent of contemporary IP laws. But composers like Mozart and Beethoven were ripped off by unscrupulous publishers throughout their entire careers. The fact is that in the 18th and 19th centuries, the church and wealthy patrons fostered creativity and supported the arts with a passion. Today, no such class of people exists, at least not in America. The authors claim that few people rely on royalties is simply false. ALL professional concert music composers earn large percentages of their incomes from performance and publication royalties. This generally amounts to very little money because there is very little market for what we do. But don't deny us the fruits of our labor, because that's simply all we have.