Wed 7 Nov 2007
I was wasting time on Boing Boing… Yeah, I know, I should be writing, and came across a great talk on creativity and “copyright” No really.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/187
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/187
As a writer, this applies to me less than many other artists, but I really see the point. Once again, it boils down to what is mine and what is not. If someone is making money from my work, I should get a slice, right? Well, listen and decide for yourself… It is a very brave new world, and taking either side to the extreme will kill creativity.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:04 pm
Larry Lessig is an amazing presenter, and I loved his talk. I do have a couple of reactions, though: 1. Few people, I would think, would argue that folks can’t sample bits and pieces of others artistic endeavors to create something new. He showed some examples of this, and they were hilarious and great. 2. Even he is saying that nobody should be allowed to republish in full somebody else’s work without permission and without payment. 3. I think he’s ascribing a bit more noble outlook to the youth of America than is perhaps warranted. I believe, bottom line, that the sub-30 set, my own kids included, have gotten very accustomed to literally stealing music, and they don’t want the gravy train to end. Most of them refuse to pay 99 cents a song for music. They can’t remember a time when they DID pay for music. Pretty soon, I’m afraid, there may not be any music left for them to steal. The counterpoint might be that the really great music, like the really great writing, is by and large being given away anyway. Oh, there’s no more Beyonce or Jay-Z? Who the fuck cares?
A great topic for discussion and thought, Chris.
November 7th, 2007 at 8:58 pm
Yes, points one and two, I will concede, but I think there’s a lot more creativity out there than the surface “haze” on the internet suggests. One point Lessig makes that I think is the real take home, is that extremism on each end of the spectrum is detrimental to everyone’s interests.
The artists who are bitching about their work being “pirated” are the ones who already have made a bundle. There’s a lot more “umph” behind a true “buzz word hit” than any hit manufactured by the bigwigs in music and literature, in my humble opinion, simply because the fans made the hit, not the “media”. J.K. Rowling’s primary success was by word of mouth…
November 8th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Yeah, it’s sorta like hedge fund managers complaining about having their income taxed like the rest of us. And, I hadn’t thought about all the “buzz” that the net can afford somebody without Beyonce-type backing. Very good point.