Re: <nettime> double-plus-unfree digest [byfield, elloi]

[Benjamin Geer <benjamin.geer@gmail.com>]

On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 22:37:38 -0800 (PST), Morlock Elloi
<morlockelloi@yahoo.com> wrote:
>> You have to use your imagination.  Film viewers don't need support
>> contracts, but they might like to have more of a say in the sorts of
>> films that get produced, and they might be willing to pay for that.  I
>> certainly would.
>
> The payment is the crucial problem for un-labelled content. [...] If you think that
> freedom-fighting avangarde p2p networks will not copy quality content from
> independents think again.

That's fine with me.  I think you missed my point.  If there was, say, a 
worker's collective of independent filmmakers that produced films on 
subjects proposed and chosen democratically by their paying supporters, I 
would be happy to be one of those paying supporters. And if the resulting 
films were then copied and distributed free of charge, so much the better. 
I'm sure I'm not the only person who would contribute to such a project.

If all I can do is choose among content that's already been created, I'm 
reduced to the role of passive spectator.  I feel about as involved as 
when I have to choose between political parties.  No wonder I'm not very 
interested in paying.  But if paying gave me a say in the subjects covered 
and in the way they're covered, so that I and my like-minded friends could 
get, say, documentaries produced on the subjects we really want to know 
more about (or want others to know more about), that would be a real 
reason to pay.

Ben




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