No More Bestsellers

By Joost Smiers

“The present copyright system is beneficial for a few best-selling artists

while providing no benefits at all for most creative professionals.”

Privatization of common knowledge

• Knowledge cultivated over centuries

• Farmers in India VS Monsanto

This worries the author because…

Essentially, any public knowledge

Can be slightly modified

Privatized, denying access to the rest

…Well, except for pay

Should the latest modifier be given absolute rights of ownership, especially if this knowledge is necessary for further development?

- Currently, only the best sellers are benefitting

If we abandon Copyright:

• More artists will earn more easily

• Resources of production, distribution and promotion should have many owners

• Free database of knowledge

• Audience should make their own choice from “a wide variety of cultural expressions”

How to abandon Copyright?

• Cultural Entrepreneur

• Takes risks in a chosen field

• Field bears similarities to any other business

• Be capable of staying one step ahead of the competition

2 Controlling Markets

Copyright law • Total control by

best sellers

• Good investment protection

• Disrupts cultural diversity

Monopolization • Limited number of

“conglomerates”

• Yet, a strong grip: – Production, Distribution, Promotion

– Films

– Music

– Books

– Design

– Visual Arts

Is it possible to achieve an environment in which no single party is able to control or influence the market?

Will cultural entrepreneurs be able to successfully participate without being pushed aside?

GIANTS – copyright holders • Determine whether, how,

where a work should be used

• What should be acceptable

• Atmosphere

Proposal for a New Market

1. Scrap Copyright

2. Ensure no further market domination

Simultaneously!

Abolishing copyright…

• No more investments for only the privileged

No more epic films!

- Maybe a loss, maybe not (無責任)

• Historically genres have been replaced

- People will get used to change

• Values cultural diversity more

Normalizing market conditions

“What we see, hear and read contributes extensively to the forming of our identities, in the plural. It cannot be stressed enough that there should therefore be many, many enterprises in the cultural field; instead of being pushed away from public attention by excessively strong forces, they should be able to offer their cultural wares from totally different perspectives.”

Consequences

• No more monopolists medium-sized, small

• Investigation against excessive domination

• Equal distribution of assets

• Many cultural entrepreneurs can take more risks, serve more needs

• Create new needs

• ‘Well-sellers’

Free-riders?

• Artists and entrepreneurs add their value

• No one can steal, control and promote as easily

• Sure, another company

- or ten, twenty, forty will try to reproduce same work

But who will want to invest in something so easily replicable?

Other benefits

• Reduce income gap between artists

• Activities become profitable worth investment

• Stability

• 2008: Serving the common good

• Markets don’t self-regulate, need to be organized to serve a broader spectrum of interests