Steven, maybe better advertising might be the solution to copyright free music profitable for the singers and performers? As Professor Moglen says, the cost of producing music has declined rapidly and those who produce music might now be able to earn more than just 7% of the sales of their music, net of all expenses (sushi flown in from Tokyo). If music studios are gone, then their ability to bombard us with really good advertising to let us know about the music that we might potentially really want if you had known about it is gone as well. Then we might have to rely on Facebook and Google who really know us, to let us know these new acts that we might like.

For example, Facebook knows that we attended the Columbia Law and Opera Society Party, so we might like the new Paul Potts release? Google knows we've been searching for Backstreet Boys albums, so we might like this new boy band named BSB that looks like and sounds like the Backstreet Boys? Paul Potts and BSB can now produce their music in their own studios and reach us without having the studios marketing to us. We could get our music much more cheaply and the artists could get what is rightfully theirs.

So I guess my answer to Steven's question -- “Is the cost of giving away data regarding my personal preferences outweighed by the benefits that accrue to me as a consumer if I do?” -- is -- YES!

-- AllanOng - 23 Oct 2009