There are some out there who like to say something like this: “Digital technology enables anyone and everyone to be an artist and an innovator – to produce music, to create cutting edge films and videos, and to reach new audiences.” That is in a literal sense a true statement. It is also true that when someone gave Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards skis, he competed as an Olympic ski-jumper. Of course, people enjoyed watching him for the same reason people enjoyed watching William Hung on American Idol. Both were absolute disasters.

Everybody creates every day, and every creator enjoys copyright, but some creators produce beautiful things that deserve to be heard above the din. The Internet allows much easier distribution, but of course everyone is allowed down that ski slope. Here’s what acclaimed singer/songwriter Aimee Mann thinks:

“I spend a lot of time on computers, but I’m not a huge fan of what they provide,” she says. “They have taken away from us, in a way. It has made available so much entertainment that people are constantly distracted. MySpace and Facebook gave hope to everyone who ever owned a guitar and some kind of recording device. Their music is now available and fighting to get noticed along with everybody else’s. There are millions of singers and songwriters and bands, and when there is too much choice my reaction is I don’t know what to listen to. So my choice is not to listen to anything.”

Mind you, as The Chicago Tribune’s Greg Kot points out, Mann was a digital pioneer, leaving the labels and going out on her own in 2000, the dark ages as far as independent online label strategies are concerned. But Mann, ever honest — she says Paul McCartney was a great musician but probably shouldn’t have attempted lyrics — isn’t afraid to point out that the Emperor that is digital distribution is at least partially disrobed.

Oh, she has another observation that will leave some calling for compulsory licenses, but should leave more rational individuals recognizing that we have a growing cultural problem on our hands that could seriously jeapordize the possibility of a new generation of creators producing compelling works for us to hear:

“People are used to getting their music for free,” she says. “It’s a weird profession to have. I might have to get another job. If people don’t pay to buy a record, I’m not going to be able to pay to make a record. My ego is not so huge that I have to put out records just to make records. If it doesn’t pay for itself, you have to reconsider how you’re doing things.”

Please, let’s not take such a talented, innovative and entrepreneurial creator such as Aimee Mann and throw her in some system where some arbitrary body tells her what she will earn for her works while giving her no control over their distribution. We should be applauding creators like her for pioneering new business models, not punishing her for ignoring her creativity by stealing not just her work but her ability to innovate.

TIp of the hat to the ever-diligent Dean Kay.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 at 2:22 pm by Patrick Ross and is filed under copyright opponents, internet, piracy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.