That said, if you read my post then you know that I don’t favor cracking down on file-sharing because I recognize the advantages of being able to distribute music this way. And now that people are used to music being basically free, they aren’t going to be able to go back to the old way without some serious backlash. We just need to account for the fact that the internet and computer companies are already making money on this and force them to fork it over to the people who actually spent time and money making the music.

If I’m in the ice cream business, each unit of ice cream costs me time and money to manufacture and distribute. If you steal a carton from me, that’s one more carton I have to buy ingredients and packaging for, put together, and ship in a freezer to your local supermarket.

Here in the music business, if you copy my CD from your friend, or download it with LimeWire, that act doesn’t cost me a cent or a second. You can say it costs me the money I would have made if you’d bought it, but “I didn’t make some money I would like to have made” is very different from “you took something away from me”.

(Fundamentally, when you steal something from me, you deprive me of the thing I had. But when you copy something I have, I still have it. That’s a stark distinction, and it’s why we have separate laws for copyright and for theft.)

Now, you know I’m not saying it doesn’t cost anything to make music. It takes time and money to record, not to mention buying instruments and other gear, and, except for the rawest punks, years of lessons and practice. But once I’ve put all that time and money into it, the added cost to me of each downloaded MP3 is zero. That’s just not the same cost structure as ice cream.

I’m all in favor of musicians making money – I’m trying to make some myself. I just think we need to look at how to make it. What works for ice cream may not work for us.

Jamie