Oddbean new post about | logout
 I don’t think everything makes sense on a V4V model. Physical goods are finite and there is an ongoing cost to produce them. Services that require human time and effort are also finite, whether that is an artist creating a commissioned work, a singer performing a concert, a plumber repairing a sink, an electrician installing lighting, a teacher giving lessons, and the list could go on and on. 

Digital content, once created, can be reproduced at nearly zero cost so it essentially has infinite supply. Methods to artificially limit that supply, such as DRM and paywalls, have continually been thwarted, and so now we have music and movie streaming services that charge flat rates and/or show ads so the companies can still make money, and they pay out to creators based on views/engagement. This creates centralized gatekeepers who have a lot of control over what is required of artists who want to monetize their content, and time and time again we see creators censored and deplatformed or debanked, and platforms taking exorbitant fees for distributing the content, or setting ridiculous requirements on follow count, etc, before creators can monetize. 

 
 I know that I cannot be as eloquent as you. 
Yea, time, and effort are finite. Humans, and all resources are finite. 
Do you still need those resources to live?
Can't live without food, water, shelter, etc. 
That's my point.  
 Bro, you ain't gonna be pirating any sandwiches. Give it up. 
 Extremely well said. 
 You both live off that model. If everyone lived off that model, there would be no actual goods. Please explain to me what I am missing. Sincerely. Where am I missing something? 
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