response 23 of 126:

Sep 8 20:30 UTC 2000

A number of people have suggested that the future of the music 
business lies in exactly the patron model.   In the past, the patrons 
were the few rich and powerful people who held all the spare money.
In the democratic era, the patrons will have to be the ordinary people.
 
I know that there are musicians who I love who I would be happy to send
a $5, $10, $20 tip to every year.   Say some folk musician I like, 
a solo performer, can have 1000 dedicated fans who will send her
$20 bucks a year.  That's the start of a livable income.
Such a performer probably gets less than that from current CD sales.
 
Models like this are being seriously discussed in various online 
publications.  

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Rane, let's concede for a moment that Napster-style file trading is 
theft.  What can be done about it?    The options seem to be:
    1) Legally require that all computer and network systems 
       recognize and block illicit copying.  Michael Eisner of Disney
       is demanding this solution.  It does not seem to be 
       very technically feasible.
    2) Start feeding hundreds or thousands of middle-class kids 
       into either the civil or criminal legal system.
       We would have to have a War on Copyright Criminals on a 
       scale roughly equal to the War on Drug Users.

       And this becomes a nightmare for the music copyright industry,
       because a substantial number of the people being prosecuted will 
       be their best customers.