Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

Music economy & internet: the real roadblock

Author:Jacob Levy
Posted:6/19/2000; 10:33:24 AM
Topic:Music economy & internet: the real roadblock
Msg #:17906
Prev/Next:17905 / 17907

I'd love to pay 5 cents per song I download if I knew it went to the artist. A larger amount, lets say a dollar, for Beethoven's fifth. As far as I can tell this sentiment is shared by many many people, enough to make it a viable way for artists to get paid handsomely (better than the current way anyway, if Courtney Love's math is right).

However... how can I pay an artist 5 cents? How can I send the Boston Pop one dollar? That's the missing link.

I've spent some time looking at the micropayment proposals floated around so far, and as far as I can tell they're not going to work, because of a basic flaw: they're secure at both ends and as a result cost too much. I don't really care if someone steals 5 cents from me, or at least not enough to make my computer into a fortress. Heck, I don't care if they steal $49.99, that's the limit on my potential loss today with credit cards. On the other hand, an artist depending on a steady stream of 5 cent deposits into her account does care about security. If it costs 1 cent to process a transaction with this assymetrical security constraints, the artist presumably would love the 4 cents deposited in her account just as much as a 5 cents deposit. Sounds to me like a great opportunity for an Internet based business, payment processing.

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