Robbie, generally I find all of your posts to be intelligent and informative, and most of this one is as well - but this line that is oft spouted is a completely incorrect analogy... you refer to unique real life objects - we are in the digital business.
If I could freely 'copy' a steak dinner from the best restaurant, and put it in your dining room 24/7 - 7 days a week, you would take the 'copy' ALL THE TIME - except once in a while, you would 'go out' for the social aspect - I would of course, be hovering around trying to upsell you a 'stereo' or whatever unrelated product I had to sell.
If I could beam the latest 'concert' in to your livingroom FREE of course... you would stay home in the 'best seat' and throw parties to give the free show to everyone else - conquering the social aspect at the same time. I would of course, hover around and try to upsell you a Gym membership (completely unrelated product from the one I 'copied' and gave you for free)
I'm stumped on the 'show' analogy - just don't think it applies really
But the point is - if you (meaning anybody) 'could' get all those things for free - sure as hell the fine restaurant as well as McDonalds would all suffer horribly - and concert venues would be shutting down.
we deal in digital intangible - the rules ARE different - surely you must see that
'Tubes' won't kill the industry in and of themselves - its the accumulated ACCELLERATION of giving away free porn that will kill it (and i daresay its 3/4 dead now) - TGP MGP torrents, dialers, larger and larger tours, tubes, BBS, pirate sites, sharing forums, newsgroups... etc, sure, none of them individually killed porn - but all of them together DID - please - dispute it
this is absolutly correct - but I don't see how anyone is good with this - we now scramble for the few that are this type - instead of having the entire base of consumers at our fingertips.
If you LOCK IT ALL UP - ALL of them will pay (well, almost all), not just the few who like to be the 'one behind the velvet rope'
as for all your other posts... I totally agree that I must now totally redesign my site before I even open for business... encrypted streaming all the way - but thats now another pail of money pissed away
but do it I shall
y'all really slaughtered this golden goose