Bradley, a few thoughts on your paper. Let me start by saying that I'm entirely sympathetic to your argument, but I think there are few weak spots here which could be bolstered a bit.

First, when you say, "It is difficult claim that record sales are a particularly beneficial source of income to most recording artists" you are putting the cart before the horse in a big way. There's a circularity in saying that artists can thrive in a free distribution world because they aren't making money from recordings, when they aren't making money from recordings because of free distribution. All you've done is shown that the old business models aren't working, but you haven't taken the reader any farther in showing that the new model of free distribution will. I happen to agree with your implicit contention that it will, but pointing to the failure of one system isn't a substitute for demonstrating the efficacy of another.

Second, and this is perhaps more literary, I think you're leaning a bit too heavily on Allen/Swift/Knowles in the essay. It's useful as a framing device, but you're making some very serious arguments here that affect an awful lot of people, and of course what really matters, an awful lot of money. Who really cares what Taylor swift has to say about business models? You face too the problem that none of these "artists" are actually in control of the distribution of their own music. They really have no more to say about the choices musical artists face than I do--- that is to say, not a lot.

Third, the section about Knowles is a bit problematic. The future of free distribution of content isn't in the "rebellion" of a pop star typing away on her Twitter. The song was still taken down. Obviously the subtext of this is that the record company can't do anything anyway--- the flow of information can't be stopped--- but I think you've framed this in an ineffective way. You call this section "Letting the Artist Decide", but really Knowles did anything but. Her record company tried to make a choice, but the realities of digital distribution did it for them.

I think you have a lot here, but there are some gaps that make it hard for even your sympathizers to get on board. -- DanaDelger - 18 Nov 2009