paying artists (was: Re: Freedom or Copyright? - GNU Project - Free Software Foundation) (FSF)

[David Gerard]

On 13/02/2008, Matthias Kirschner <mk at fsfe.org> wrote:
> * Alex Hudson <home at alexhudson.com> [2008-02-09 15:03:51 +0000]:

> > Donation is no way to reward people. It subjugates them, and turns them
> > into beggars. Art by patronage exists but is limited, but having moved
> > into a world where artists are properly paid for work and not reliant on
> > hand-outs, I doubt the majority of artists would go back.

> I am very astonished to read that you state artists are properly paid
> for their work. What makes you believe that artists are currently paid
> properly? Do you have any sources? Because from what I heard from
> several artists, I concluded that the current system is only working for
> a handful of big stars but not for the whole other artists.


The current system is expressly designed by and for the middlemen; the
artists are milked like cattle. I urge Alex (and all here) to reread
Steve Albini's description of how the system worked as of 1994:

http://www.negativland.com/albini.html


- d.