OFF: One possible digital music future

[Paul Mather]

On Sat, Feb 14, 2004 at 11:59:30AM -0000, HawkFan wrote:

=> On average I buy around a CD a week, say £60 a month. If I could get them
=> for $6 a month as the article suggests that would be great, but I don't see
=> it happening. Even if it did, human nature being what it is many peope would
=> still try and get the music for nothing.

There would be no point in doing so.  If I read the article correctly,
the $6/month figure represents an increase in Broadband subscription
costs to finance the "free" download system.  (Think of it as a flat
$6/month "arts and entertainment" tax on your high-speed connection.)

So, given you've already paid it, and it's high-speed downloaders who
are downloading large media content, why would you try and get the
music for nothing when you've already bought legitimate access to it?

Of course, the tricky stumbling block is getting the system in place.
But, if it were in place, I can't think of any real incentive why Joe
Blow on the street would want to download material outside that framework.

Cheers,

Paul.

e-mail: paul at gromit.dlib.vt.edu

"Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production
 deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid."
        --- Frank Vincent Zappa