Yes. We do agree that popular music is a
public good. But if we have less of it,
will this be bad? I am not so sure.
Apparently, some of this music is created
without any aims but to sell. What I would
like is to have the same total amount of
music, but less of the commercial one and
more of the specific music that targets
only a small audience, but gives it a
deeper experience.
In other words, if we want to ask whether
free copying is good or bad for the music
market, we may first need to agree on what
kind of "ideal" music market we would like
to see - not in terms of my or your own
taste, but in terms of the interests and
welfare of society.
Another way to look at it: in the current
situation, musicians who sell a lot to the
public are well-rewarded. Musicians who
sell mainly to other musicians earn very
little, even though their indirect
influence on the musical landscape may be
very big. Is this a good system?