There’s more than one way to look at this issue. The Grateful Dead method is taught in some business schools. Instead of prohibiting individual taping, they actually had a special section right up front for any fan who wanted to tape a show. It helped them sell more of their own recordings and merchandise and reach more fans. And thus, this business model is formally studied as a result.
16 Likes
Iron Maiden did a world tour a few years ago to the places where they had the most “illegal” downloads, mostly in places they had never toured before. Fans got to see the band, the band made loads off the tour.
15 Likes
This has always been my approach to it. I should care that people “steal” things I’ve written. But I just can’t bring myself to because it’s still people getting their eyes on my work and those folks could easily turn into fans or people who do buy down the road (and even if they don’t, I’m still glad they had a chance to read something I created). I’d really rather see a 100 people read a book I’ve written, than get an extra $60 or whatever, for something I wrote a decade or two ago.
9 Likes
See also Radiohead’s pay-what-you-can model. 
11 Likes
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
