I can name that contradiction in three notes

Would that my first real article had been on a local story, but this caught my eye while reading some news elsewhere. From For Radiohead Fans, Does “Free” + “Download” = “Freeload”?, about a study of Radiohead's attempt at pay-as-you-see-fit marketing, only two out of 5 "customers" are willing to pay for "their" music:

During the first 29 days of October, 1.2 million people worldwide visited the “In Rainbows” site, with a significant percentage of visitors ultimately downloading the album. The study showed that 38 percent of global downloaders of the album willingly paid to do so, with the remaining 62 percent choosing to pay nothing. The percent downloading for free in the U.S. (60 percent) is only marginally lower than in the rest of the world (64 percent).

“I am surprised by the number of freeloaders,” said Fred Wilson, managing partner of Union Square Ventures and well-known music aficionado. “The stories to date about the In Rainbows ‘pick your price’ download offer have been much more optimistic. I paid $5 U.S. and had no reluctance whatsoever to take out my card and pay. It’s a fantastic record, the best thing they've done in years. But, this shows pretty conclusively that the majority of music consumers feel that digital recorded music should be free and is not worth paying for. That's a large group that can't be ignored and its time to come up with new business models to serve the freeloader market.”

I'm not surprised by the number of freeloaders -- people have been taking music and artists for granted pretty much since its discovery. In Atlas Shrugged, this fact is illustrated in the character of Halley and his concertos. In recent history, one need only look back to the dawn of Napster to see just how much musicians are taken for granted. It's nice to have numbers to quantify it, however. Too bad the figure sucks for Radiohead. It doesn't bode well for other artists, either.

Was does surprise me is the oxymoron that is the term, "freeloader market." There can be no freeloader market, because freeloaders by definition have nothing they wish to freely offer in return for the product of your efforts. For someone to even suggest the term seriously and sincerely is frightening.

The proper label for this 60% segment of the music-acquiring population? Thieves and looters. Musicians, you would do well to recognize the brutal nature of your "fans" and condemn it. The only new business model that you should seek with regard to these thieves is none at all -- concentrate instead on your paying customers who truly value your abilities instead of taking the product of your efforts for granted.

Folks, music is a process of discovery! Music is invented! Music is the product of minds, and those minds deserve to be fairly compensated for their efforts.