Alternative Compensation Models for Content Producers

Writing on Lawrence Lessig’s blog, Rep. Rick Boucher is soliciting comments on alternative compensation models for artists as a solution to the current filesharing legal debacle.

He puts forth the EFF’s Voluntary Collective Licensing (VCL) idea as a possibility. I’m a big fan of the concept behind VCL, and would gladly embrace it if it was available. The main argument I’ve seen against it, though, is “what incentive do the record labels have to adopt it?” With fewer physical goods sold and more compensation going directly to the artists, the labels will be losing money rapidly — but maybe that’s necessary to give control back to the artists, the ones who really deserve the most profit from their work. Even if the labels don’t like the idea, perhaps they should be made to adopt it, for the good of our culture as a whole. It’d decrease the initial difficulties for artists who are trying to get off the ground, and disrupt the ever-increasing homogeneity of our music culture. I think that’s a good thing.

The main point is this: filesharing isn’t going anywhere, and the music industry needs to recognise that and embrace it rather than fight its futile battle against it. If you have any thoughts on the matter, please let Rep. Boucher hear them so that he can consider them when he does take action on this matter.