Bugging out: How rampant online piracy squashed one insect photographer (Ars Technica)

Posted Sep 27, 2014 14:25 UTC (Sat) by Wol (subscriber, #4433)
In reply to: Bugging out: How rampant online piracy squashed one insect photographer (Ars Technica) by Creideiki
Parent article: Bugging out: How rampant online piracy squashed one insect photographer (Ars Technica)

> No, it doesn't. It boils down to basic economics.

Which then says that these pictures are worthless, because economics dictates that they CANNOT happen.

If you want those pictures to exist, you have to rig the market so that it produces people capable of taking them ...

Cheers,
Wol

Bugging out: How rampant online piracy squashed one insect photographer (Ars Technica)

Posted Sep 27, 2014 15:59 UTC (Sat) by Creideiki (subscriber, #38747) [Link] (3 responses)

There have always, for all forms of art, been people for whom the value of creating that art is greater than the opportunity cost of creating it. And that's really all it takes.

Bugging out: How rampant online piracy squashed one insect photographer (Ars Technica)

Posted Sep 27, 2014 19:56 UTC (Sat) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link] (2 responses)

Maybe. But they are few in number.

And ability depends on time available to practice. You want popular art? You have to pay for it. And if you're relying solely on those people you talk about you're going to have very few artists. And typically they will be bohemian souls who either die young in poverty, or abandon art for more lucrative careers.

Cheers,
Wol

Bugging out: How rampant online piracy squashed one insect photographer (Ars Technica)

Posted Sep 27, 2014 20:19 UTC (Sat) by Creideiki (subscriber, #38747) [Link] (1 responses)

And ability depends on time available to practice. You want popular art? You have to pay for it.

Perhaps. But even if so, copyright is far from the only way to do it. Kickstarter and Patreon are doing a fine job proving that. Another way is tax-funded education.

Bugging out: How rampant online piracy squashed one insect photographer (Ars Technica)

Posted Sep 27, 2014 21:37 UTC (Sat) by Wol (subscriber, #4433) [Link]

> Another way is tax-funded education.

And what happens when they graduate? Should all art be created by students?

If they can't make a living from it, they won't practice it, and if the education was supposed to be vocational then it was a total waste of money.

Cheers,
Wol