the "culture of FREE"

[techristian]

It isn't just mp3s anymore. The culture of free has spread to books. Check out what the Toronto Public Library is doing at the link below.

 

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/12/20/toronto_public_library_sadly_embraces_culture_of_free.html?app=noRedirect

 

 

[Anderton]

 

And in case anyone wonders why I don't write books any more...

[UstadKhanAli]

I don't receive money for my posts anymore.

[nat whilk II]

Not that the "culture of free" is not an issue. But I'm not inclined to pound on libraries - they already buy once and lend a bunch of times. And there's been internet markets for very cheap used books for some time now. Think about it - if the library wants to pay $5 for used in-hot-demand bestsellers, then the authors are already what? Bestselling authors! So they are doing ok. The average person does not go to the library.

 

If movies and books get sucked into the maw of free downloads, it would be the really good writers, movie makers, and musicians that are not bestsellers/superstars that take the biggest hit. Which is the group that produces most of the highest quality stuff - that's a real problem seems to me. Not whether Suzanne Collins or George R.R. Martin loses a few hundred or even thousand sales to libraries. (meaning no disrespect to either author - they do what they do well, and I'm sure they'd both be the first to agree they are not Tolstoy-level.)

 

nat whilk ii

 

[WRGKMC]

There's always going to be people who exploit artists and artists who allow their artwork to be exploited in hopes of becoming popular. Unfortunately being educated in business isn't something artists see as being just as important as being a good artists and vice versa.

 

But the bigger problem is why kids think its OK to steal artists work and give nothing back in return. Its because they have no role models in their lives except the internet and media to guide them. Then they wonder why they have a hard time finding a job.

 

I'm a manager where I work with about a half dozen employees. We needed to hire another worker so I interviewed about 20 people. Half of them had criminal records. I'm not as worried about that so long as it happened long ago and they were truly reformed. I actually hired one guy who we had working as a temp making minimum wage. He did a stupid thing when he was young. He was robbed of his paycheck at a check cashing place by a guy on a bike and he chased him down, got the gun away from the guy, and held it on the guy till the cops arrived. The robber lied that its wasn't his gun and he was the one being robbed and the jury believed him so the guy who was robbed did some time in prison for having a gun.

 

I believed the mans story and gave him a full time job and he has been a great employee so far. He's gotten his life together, gotten an apartment and is in the process of getting his family back together. I've also put him in for a raise.

 

Back to the new hire.

 

I interviewed 20 people and had 3 good candidates. I decided on a younger kid in his 20's, put him through his background tests, and hired him. The day after he was hired he tells me, "oh by the way, I'm joining the Air Force". He saw no problem with telling me that he's seeking a different job with a new employer, the US military, the day after he was hired by us. Now it may be noble thing for him to choose to serve and I have no issues with him making that choice, but he was completely clueless on how this screws up my companies plans for him. I had chosen him because he was computer savvy, and I had planned on teaching him most of the things I do so I could take on higher responsibilities. Because he has chosen to be a short timer, its senseless for me to train him up, only to have him leave within a few months.

 

This again comes down to a lack of moral values. Kids don't know what commitment is or what it means. There are good jobs that can be had if they commit themselves to wanting to learn. Chances are when this guy does leave (usually takes 6 months of more to be considered and he's reaching those final steps) I'll likely choose someone older with more work history. Doesn't matter too much what kind of history because I'd train him up, but I'd seek someone who has the values that are important to a business.

 

Unfortunately, these values aren't being taught to many kids in a real life way. Its the "World Owes Me A Living" crowd and everything else they feel they are owed for free which dominates allot of the culture now. That attitude makes it hard for an employer to find and hire people. They want people who can stand on their own two feet as a man should in life, not as victims who bring a chip on their shoulder. That baggage is something that simply hinders them from being given the opportunities they actually want to break free from. Most know it too, they just lack the positive attitude needed to overcome those dead end ideals they get suckered into. The other big part is they hang with others who have the looser mentality. Breaking free of them means they have to go it alone. They have to fight that looser comradely of friends and family that might exist and its always there like an addiction waiting to welcome them back saying "See, why did you bother trying to succeed. Once a looser always a looser" In short, they want to have people feel sorry for them and feed on that sympathy with no remorse.

[techristian]

I forgot to mention that I can also borrow CDs, DVDs and Ebooks at my local library. With my Library Card (personal code) I can also get access to Chiltons Automotive repair library as well.

 

Dan

[Anderton]

Well I realize the "kids are rotten these days" has been a common theme throughout history, but I think there's a difference this time. The 60s generation was supposedly committed to making this a better world, but ended up selling out anyway. That selling out led to more selling out, to the point where it's clear that you can pretty much get away with anything if you're a politician, bank, or multinational corporation.

 

In theory, politicians and business leaders should set a standard of behavior, and the problem is....they do. We also don't have artists who can set a standard, the way people like Bob Dylan and the Beatles did, because artists have been emasculated by economics to the point of being more or less irrelevant. Someone like Springsteen still gives a lot to charity behind the scenes, but he's perceived more like a relic of a bygone era.

 

I don't blame this generation, I blame the generations before them who have set no example, and a political system that brings new meaning to the word "hypocrisy." It's all about "me" and that is not the way a healthy society functions.

 

Getting back to the topic, the fact is if a book was sold, the author did get a royalty. What's sad is that libraries are considered so irrelevant they don't have a budget to buy new books. The cost for a single day of fighting in Afghanistan is over $240 million dollars. That is wealth that does nothing to help our society, with the exception of whatever crumbs are left over for us from defense contractors. We are destroying our future to make a handful of people rich and are simultaneously letting our infrastructure go to hell.

 

The result of this is what we are seeing reflected in society. Whether kids are aware of how much their future is being stolen from them or not, the fact of the matter is they have been born into a society that is being plundered, with nothing left for them. No wonder their attitude is that they should be able to plunder too.

 

And yes, I know this isn't the political forum but political decisions are affecting the arts, our culture, and the ability for artists to make a contribution to society and be compensated fairly for it.

 

[Goober(s)]

Well I realize the "kids are rotten these days" has been a common theme throughout history, but I think there's a difference this time. The 60s generation was supposedly committed to making this a better world, but ended up selling out anyway. That selling out led to more selling out, to the point where it's clear that you can pretty much get away with anything if you're a politician, bank, or multinational corporation.

 

In theory, politicians and business leaders should set a standard of behavior, and the problem is....they do. We also don't have artists who can set a standard, the way people like Bob Dylan and the Beatles did, because artists have been emasculated by economics to the point of being more or less irrelevant. Someone like Springsteen still gives a lot to charity behind the scenes, but he's perceived more like a relic of a bygone era.

 

I don't blame this generation, I blame the generations before them who have set no example, and a political system that brings new meaning to the word "hypocrisy." It's all about "me" and that is not the way a healthy society functions.

 

Getting back to the topic, the fact is if a book was sold, the author did get a royalty. What's sad is that libraries are considered so irrelevant they don't have a budget to buy new books. The cost for a single day of fighting in Afghanistan is over $240 million dollars. That is wealth that does nothing to help our society, with the exception of whatever crumbs are left over for us from defense contractors. We are destroying our future to make a handful of people rich and are simultaneously letting our infrastructure go to hell.

 

The result of this is what we are seeing reflected in society. Whether kids are aware of how much their future is being stolen from them or not, the fact of the matter is they have been born into a society that is being plundered, with nothing left for them. No wonder their attitude is that they should be able to plunder too.

 

And yes, I know this isn't the political forum but political decisions are affecting the arts, our culture, and the ability for artists to make a contribution to society and be compensated fairly for it.

 

every older generation similarly believes that "there's a difference this time."

 

 

to my mind, the difference about the "free stuff problem" this time is that technology enables it. it's up to the tech companies and artists to come up with a balance that serves everyone... witness the consortium of artists bailing from ASCAP/BMI and renegotiating with YouTube for example.

[Jeff Leites]

My house is overflowing with flashlights, digital test meters, tape measures, tarps, work gloves, sissors... from Harbor Freight.

 

http://tinyurl.com/pcbmu2x

 

 

[Anderton]

 

every older generation similarly believes that "there's a difference this time."

 

 

to my mind, the difference about the "free stuff problem" this time is that technology enables it. it's up to the tech companies and artists to come up with a balance that serves everyone... witness the consortium of artists bailing from ASCAP/BMI and renegotiating with YouTube for example.

 

 

There's always a difference each time, but the nature of the difference, and how it affects society, differs. For example a generation that was raised by parents who went through the depression are going to be raised somewhat differently than my parents who went through a war, or mostly experienced the 50s.

 

Clearly some means needs to occur for compensating people for streams from YouTube etc.; I don't think we're there yet. But one thing that will allow the "culture of free" to remain is if the costs are paid through sponsorship from corporations (e.g., ads) or government (e.g., state-sponsored media). I'm not sure either entity is particularly interested in artistic freedom...

[onelife]

 

...the difference about the "free stuff problem" this time is that technology enables it. it's up to the tech companies and artists to come up with a balance that serves everyone...

 

I think the economic model is outdated and we are being forced to sabotage the technology in order to hang on to that outdated model.

 

Everything is being held for ransom so in order for the artist to have a home and eat, he has to hold his art for ransom. I'm fortunate enough to live in a place where the currency is kindness and it's not how much you have but how much you give that makes you rich.

 

I would like to see this model extended to the rest of the world but fear and greed still have a strong grip on most people's way of thinking.

 

[Goober(s)]

 

I think the economic model is outdated and we are being forced to sabotage the technology in order to hang on to that outdated model.

 

Everything is being held for ransom so in order for the artist to have a home and eat, he has to hold his art for ransom. I'm fortunate enough to live in a place where the currency is kindness and it's not how much you have but how much you give that makes you rich.

 

I would like to see this model extended to the rest of the world but fear and greed still have a strong grip on most people's way of thinking.

 

 

where do you live?

[Jasaoke]

The notion of "intellectual property" has done a lot to hurt itself. We live in a world where anybody who has an idea thinks that they can get paid everytime some one else uses that idea. Don't forget that art is easy. Yes, I meant that and I'll say it again: art is easy. In fact, any form of entertainment is. Sports, theater, film, music; none of these things really require any hard work to do. And I can already hear people talking about the blood, sweat, and tears that they pour into writing their song, or playing their sport but save it; take a step back and look at it for what it really is. A hundred years ago people played music for recreation - many of us still do. And regardless of how "hard" you worked on your song, do you really think that you are the first person to put those chords together in that order? What did you write about? Falling in love, or a broken heart, or hating your dad, or rocking steady? Did you use I, IV, V, and maybe a minor VI in there somewhere?

 

Writing stories or music is easy. You know what's hard? Roofing. Or metal fabrication. But your roofer doesn't get a royalty check everytime someone stays dry. They make a living by doing something well, then doing it a lot and charging a fair price for it.

 

Write a song, great. Sell it, even better. The more you do, the better they are, the more you can charge. That's the way the rest of the world works.

[nat whilk II]

The notion of "intellectual property" has done a lot to hurt itself. We live in a world where anybody who has an idea thinks that they can get paid everytime some one else uses that idea. Don't forget that art is easy. Yes, I meant that and I'll say it again: art is easy. In fact, any form of entertainment is. Sports, theater, film, music; none of these things really require any hard work to do. And I can already hear people talking about the blood, sweat, and tears that they pour into writing their song, or playing their sport but save it; take a step back and look at it for what it really is. A hundred years ago people played music for recreation - many of us still do. And regardless of how "hard" you worked on your song, do you really think that you are the first person to put those chords together in that order? What did you write about? Falling in love, or a broken heart, or hating your dad, or rocking steady? Did you use I, IV, V, and maybe a minor VI in there somewhere?

 

Writing stories or music is easy. You know what's hard? Roofing. Or metal fabrication. But your roofer doesn't get a royalty check everytime someone stays dry. They make a living by doing something well, then doing it a lot and charging a fair price for it.

 

Write a song, great. Sell it, even better. The more you do, the better they are, the more you can charge. That's the way the rest of the world works.

 

[onelife]

 

 

where do you live?

 

 

Haida Gwaii. It's a group of islands just south of the Alaska Panhandle.

 

Haida culture is at least 10,000 years old and possibly even as old as 60,000 years. The society is based on the Potlach which is a system of distributing wealth where the chiefs would hold great feasts and their power was judged by how much they could give away. There is a huge bounty of seafood and vegetation here for the taking and most people just do what they are good at and that becomes their contribution to the community.

 

Of course the place has been modernized and there is Capitalism, with its associated problems, here but greed is not the main motivator. It's easy for us to see that we are all in the same boat (so to speak) and it creates a strong sense of community where we all know and look out for each other.

 

 

[Goober(s)]

 

 

Haida Gwaii. It's a group of islands just south of the Alaska Panhandle.

 

Haida culture is at least 10,000 years old and possibly even as old as 60,000 years. The society is based on the Potlach which is a system of distributing wealth where the chiefs would hold great feasts and their power was judged by how much they could give away. There is a huge bounty of seafood and vegetation here for the taking and most people just do what they are good at and that becomes their contribution to the community.

 

Of course the place has been modernized and there is Capitalism, with its associated problems, here but greed is not the main motivator. It's easy for us to see that we are all in the same boat (so to speak) and it creates a strong sense of community where we all know and look out for each other.

 

 

wow, never heard of it... that sounds very cool. I'd love to visit someday!

[WRGKMC]

 

 

 

Haida Gwaii. It's a group of islands just south of the Alaska Panhandle.

 

Haida culture is at least 10,000 years old and possibly even as old as 60,000 years. The society is based on the Potlach which is a system of distributing wealth where the chiefs would hold great feasts and their power was judged by how much they could give away. There is a huge bounty of seafood and vegetation here for the taking and most people just do what they are good at and that becomes their contribution to the community.

 

Of course the place has been modernized and there is Capitalism, with its associated problems, here but greed is not the main motivator. It's easy for us to see that we are all in the same boat (so to speak) and it creates a strong sense of community where we all know and look out for each other.

 

 

So its part of Canada on an island populated by around 10,000 people isolated from most of the issues you have to deal with living on the main land where you have larger populations and larger issues due to those larger populations.

 

I can see where you can build your own utopia like that but its not going to work in most countries and cities. I grew up in a small town myself but saw that town grow to a major size with all the carpet baggers moving in. It got to the point where I couldn't even earn enough to rent in that town because the cost of real estate went so high. Those who did own property would drive 100+ miles to a major city to work or owned the business in that town.

 

You have the benefits of small town living and the security of the mainland footing the bill whenever disasters occur. Taxes are likely low so you don't have to earn as much to live. Real estate is likely cheap too because the land isn't worth much to outsiders wanting to invade you sanctity.

 

If it was a small country, your issues would be turned completely upside down. You'd have to pay for a military and a government to manage the country. All that park land couldn't be supported by the population so it would likely be sold off to industry so those government workers you do have could suck in more tax money.

 

If you're lucky you may get a job with one of those rich companies buying up your real estate. You may earn minimum wage to pay the higher cost of living because buying everything at the company store which takes all your residual cash. Then when you get old, they throw you out like trash. If you are lucky, you have an unemployment system to support you because nothing is being supplemented other then what that country can afford.

 

Its not like a large country where you have millions to support aging workers. You'd have to pay for everything from medical to infrastructure, to defense you name it, all coming out of your own wallet, not the collective wallets of all. Protecting your boarders from carpet baggers and opportunists, and companies ducking eco laws and taxes will be the hardest to deal with. Then it would take only one major earthquake and you're begging for aid from your neighbors (like the US and Canada) who bankrupt themselves bailing out other countries and get nothing but grief in return. If its not a country, its a company that gives you aid with one hand and takes your land from under your feet with the other.

 

Yes in a small rural area supported by the collective you can live life easy, but in larger population areas where the cost of living is high, you often have to work allot harder just to remain independent of that huge social support system that's such a huge drain on your earnings. Everyone is trying to stick their hands in your pockets and you have to defend what you earn while you're being squeezed by everyone else's "Gimmie" lifestyles.

 

If you were to take the actual cost every Canadian should pay for all the benefits that country has adopted, and divide the costs 100% equal to all of its citizens, you would see a whole different picture. Chances are that island would not be the utopia you think it is and wind up being a Gulag. Everyone there would be bankrupt with the actual taxes they should be paying to support the country as a whole and those in populated areas would be getting relief tax relief from supporting all the areas of the country that are supplemented.

 

 

[techristian]

With intellectual property, there is a difference when you get robbed of an "idea" and when you get robbed of a developed idea, one where you spend sometimes YEARS developing. With inventions, many times, thousands of dollars are spent developing prototypes and paying for patents. With music and videos, it is the cost of man hours practicing and production tools. You CAN'T say music is FREE. Please don't say that music is free !!

 

Dan

[onelife]

...

 

Wow! That was scathing!

 

We choose to live a life based on different priorities and hat was what I was pointing out in my post. There are only five thousand of us here and if the global economy were to completely collapse we would no be affected by it other than loosing our internet connection.

 

the land isn't worth much to outsiders wanting to invade you sanctity.

 

The land may not be worth much to outsiders because they don't understand the true value of it. They would try to attach an abstract monetary value to it whereas we see it and respect it as the giver of life ant therefore treat it that way.

 

We support our elders by providing them with what they need - food, shelter, respect and help in their daily lives. The food comes from the land that is not worth much to outsiders and from the bountiful waters that surround the islands.

 

FYI, we survived a major earthquake (7.8) just over two years ago and did not require outside help.

 

The rest of your post is irrelevant.

 

If you want your life to be about money then it will be about money - but it doesn't have to be that way.

 

 

 

 

 

[RockViolin]

They make a living by doing something well, then doing it a lot and charging a fair price for it.

/QUOTE]

 

So do 'classical' musicians. And for the time that I was one, I didn't hang my head around anyone braying about what constitutes hard work. I won't now either.