I'd add that what's obsolete is scarcity. Record companies are based on the scarcity of obtaining music. They are simple distributors. DRM is just a method to create a new "artificial" scarcity where before it was intrinsically linked to the physical media.
Their model is dead and anything that attempts to recreate this model is a step backwards. The fact that anybody in the world (at least those with computers, Internet, etc..) has access to any song in the world (yes those that have been ripped...) is a fantastic boon to culture. There have always been and there will always be artists and art lovers. There has not always been an RIAA.
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The Alexis de Toqueville Institution website seems to be down. :-(
Where am I gonna get my daily jokes now
Bullshit. You're soaking in it!
I'd add that what's obsolete is scarcity. Record companies are based on the scarcity of obtaining music. They are simple distributors. DRM is just a method to create a new "artificial" scarcity where before it was intrinsically linked to the physical media. Their model is dead and anything that attempts to recreate this model is a step backwards. The fact that anybody in the world (at least those with computers, Internet, etc..) has access to any song in the world (yes those that have been ripped...) is a fantastic boon to culture. There have always been and there will always be artists and art lovers. There has not always been an RIAA.
poor SCO lawyers might have to take a pay cut now. :(