Comments on: Toward a VRM system for paying artists http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/ Same old blog, brand new place Mon, 30 Nov 2009 22:38:40 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Tom Smith http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/comment-page-1/#comment-152361 Tom Smith Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:24:15 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/#comment-152361 VRM, DRM and the RIAA will not succeed. If there's one thing that appears to be holding true with the advent of the internet it is that information wants to be free. Be it text, music or video. VRM, DRM and the RIAA will not succeed. If there’s one thing that appears to be holding true with the advent of the internet it is that information wants to be free. Be it text, music or video.

]]> By: Doc Searls http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/comment-page-1/#comment-19700 Doc Searls Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:12:27 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/#comment-19700 Facebook may be successful, but it's still a silo. In their day cc:Mail and MCI mail were successful too, but those were also silos. Email did not succeed as a universal system until protocols that worked on both sides for everybody became established. Significantly, no one big company took the lead in making email happen. VRM is about individidual independence, autonomy and ability to engage with vendors -- and other organizations -- on mutually useful and agreeable terms that have practical advantages for both sides. Might be a pipe dream, but I think we can make it work. By the way, I'm not saying sites won't be involved. But I don't expect VRM to succeed <i>as a site</i>. For that matter, I don't see <b>any</b> of today's "successful" companies, including Facebook and Google, as infrastructural in the deepest sense, much less permanent. Both are vulnerable in many ways (by their dependencies on advertising, for one thing); and neither holds a guarantee of long-term success. Facebook may be successful, but it’s still a silo. In their day cc:Mail and MCI mail were successful too, but those were also silos.

Email did not succeed as a universal system until protocols that worked on both sides for everybody became established. Significantly, no one big company took the lead in making email happen.

VRM is about individidual independence, autonomy and ability to engage with vendors — and other organizations — on mutually useful and agreeable terms that have practical advantages for both sides.

Might be a pipe dream, but I think we can make it work.

By the way, I’m not saying sites won’t be involved. But I don’t expect VRM to succeed as a site.

For that matter, I don’t see any of today’s “successful” companies, including Facebook and Google, as infrastructural in the deepest sense, much less permanent. Both are vulnerable in many ways (by their dependencies on advertising, for one thing); and neither holds a guarantee of long-term success.

]]> By: Russell Nelson http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/comment-page-1/#comment-19618 Russell Nelson Wed, 02 Jan 2008 08:15:55 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/#comment-19618 Doc, why is facebook a success and XFN not? facebook is a social network site, and XFN is a social network system, and yet the site wins out over the system. Makes me wonder if VRM might not need a site to make it win. Doc, why is facebook a success and XFN not? facebook is a social network site, and XFN is a social network system, and yet the site wins out over the system. Makes me wonder if VRM might not need a site to make it win.

]]> By: Cedric http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/comment-page-1/#comment-19380 Cedric Mon, 31 Dec 2007 11:28:57 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/#comment-19380 Hi Doc, Robert's reaction is interesting: "where can I find a site that proposes..." It seems really hard to get out of the usual model of offer pushed by the provider and not drown by the customer. If the customer was not so lazy (and I'm one) VRM would exist for a long time. (I saw you at leWeb3 and read your RSS since. Can you put me in contact with the best VRM experts in France?) Hi Doc,

Robert’s reaction is interesting: “where can I find a site that proposes…” It seems really hard to get out of the usual model of offer pushed by the provider and not drown by the customer. If the customer was not so lazy (and I’m one) VRM would exist for a long time.

(I saw you at leWeb3 and read your RSS since. Can you put me in contact with the best VRM experts in France?)

]]> By: Doc Searls http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/comment-page-1/#comment-19305 Doc Searls Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:39:53 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/#comment-19305 Thanks, HeavyLight, both for the David Byrne piece, which deserves both close reading as well as respect for the man's position in The Business, and for catching the bad link. Just fixed it. Thanks, HeavyLight, both for the David Byrne piece, which deserves both close reading as well as respect for the man’s position in The Business, and for catching the bad link. Just fixed it.

]]> By: HeavyLight http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/comment-page-1/#comment-19300 HeavyLight Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:30:54 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/doc/2007/12/30/toward-a-vrm-system-for-paying-artists/#comment-19300 Shouldn't you be talking to David Byrne? http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne?currentPage=all Influential, experienced musicians aren't normally this eloquent! And boy, does he have connections... I'm sold on your VRM concept and can't wait to see concrete stuff. (Oh, and your last link is to a dead page on Robert's site rather than your Linux Journal article.) Shouldn’t you be talking to David Byrne?
http://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/16-01/ff_byrne?currentPage=all
Influential, experienced musicians aren’t normally this eloquent!
And boy, does he have connections…

I’m sold on your VRM concept and can’t wait to see concrete stuff.

(Oh, and your last link is to a dead page on Robert’s site rather than your Linux Journal article.)

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