The myth of creative industries

The lines between creation and distribution seem to get blurred in arguments about copyright law. What record companies and film studios and television channels and book publishers do is not what I think of as creative work; what they do is market and distribute creative work that is created by someone else.

In an imaginary future where no one paid for music or film or games, things like films that require massive investment up front would no longer be possible. Or at least the way they are made would have to change. Producers invest money because they expect a return, it’s a business decision but that idea of investment is separate from the art.

People write books and make music because they want to express something. Being paid for it is a pleasant side effect. It’s not the career choice for people who want to make money because making a living is hard and unlikely.

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