Sounds from Innerspace

Tristan_Geoff · 11-06-2016, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

...I...I would totally read that book.

It really starts to get complicated when the character finds that all the music, literature, and culture he's absorbed in the dream was in fact his own imagination and music in the real world is entirely different, so he sets out to record his own music, the ideas being his, and becomes the most respected musician ever. Or, the plot could delve into the real world's music being much better than that in his imagination.

innerspaceboy · 11-06-2016, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tristan Geoff

It really starts to get complicated when the character finds that all the music, literature, and culture he's absorbed in the dream was in fact his own imagination and music in the real world is entirely different, so he sets out to record his own music, the ideas being his, and becomes the most respected musician ever. Or, the plot could delve into the real world's music being much better than that in his imagination.

A film directed by a collective of John Carpenter, the Wachowski Bros., Stanley Kubrick, Tarantino, the Cohens, David Fincher, and Ridley Scott.

Based on the book penned by Mark Z. Danielewski and James Joyce's brain in a jar of Irish wine.

The title is an unpronounceable squiggle.

innerspaceboy · 11-06-2016, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

Your wife is officially Walmart.

Sigh... yes. Though she's morally and ethically opposed to any and all things Walmart / corporate / capitalist, but it's her self-professed Hufflepuffness (and her ENFP-ness) that makes her lose her mind over the very notion of Christmas time.

innerspaceboy · 11-13-2016, 03:38 PM

Today has been a day of unsettling revelations and clarity about the world around me.

I'll be the first to confess that I have significant gaping holes in my understanding of contemporary society and culture, but I am doing my very best to overcome this. But from what little understanding I do have, I’ve failed to grasp how our economy functions at all with regard to the creative arts. I could not fathom how digital media markets were still a functional concept in 2016. I've had several discussions in various communities where I posed the question, “how does an industry exist selling goods which are infinitely replicable and distributable at no cost to the consumer?”

Please do not misinterpret my intent - I am a tremendous advocate for compensating content creators for their work, but the current “legitimate” system of compensation is fundamentally broken. Streaming services fail completely at this task, as only .3% of unsigned artists and 2% of signed artists featured on the world’s largest streaming network earn royalties equivalent to or exceeding that of minimum-wage. (The situation is even more dire on the largest media website, YouTube, where the percentages of minimum-wage earners are only .07% of unsigned and .5% of signed artists, respectively.) So in an economy which has completely forsaken the arts, and in light of the inherently ungovernable nature of digital media, I was perplexed how is anyone in the media arts is to make any sort of living.

And the corruption of this system continues with the purchase by the customer, as iTunes media loses 100% of its value after first-sale and purchased content can never be resold. Does this not plainly demonstrate the nonsensical nature of the digital market? How does such a business model sustain itself when it in no way rewards the efforts of the content creators whose product it sells? This was a critical fault of the music industry for nearly half a century where labels engineered a system from which artists could never profit, but which has been infinitely refined to a corrupt perfection with the latest digital model.

And if my understanding of this is at all correct, then I must ask how is this matter not the paramount priority of our culture? Artists are a society’s means of grappling with all the troubles of the world and expressing all the horrors and beauties, both intrinsic and extrinsic, which encompass its very identity. It is how we understand ourselves. Shouldn’t the well-being of the arts be regarded as something of importance?

And the ludicrousness in no way ends with the media marketplace. After today’s conversations, it would appear that my error was apparently in my attempt to apply rationality and reason to an entirely illogical system. We as a nation produce very little, so there is no means of production for the workers to reclaim. Nearly our entire brick and mortar market system is comprised of foreign (or even virtual) goods.

I worked fox a big box corporation in 2012 with entire aisles of empty boxes priced at $30-$300 containing tiny slips of paper with a download code. It made absolutely no sense. Why would a brick and mortar market exist selling literally empty boxes with a markup on a virtual good which you could simply download online, legitimately or otherwise? These industries are consuming themselves and consolidating to fewer and fewer, larger and larger corporations in an effort to maintain a positive cash flow but an ever-increasing percentage of consumers are becoming sensible enough to purchase goods direct from producers or from virtual vendors with no overhead via the web, so the days of corporate brick and mortar are truly numbered. And more and more, mass produced goods have become obsolete with the advent and affordability of on-demand custom consumer goods via services like Redbubble, Skinit, Decalgirl, and a flood of on-demand web-based businesses, rendering the traditional print and textile industries practically irrelevant.

Evidently, in a phantom economy which produces nothing and does not adequately compensate its creators nor its workers, we are all just wage slaves living day in and day out as servants of illusory corporate stability which has no real foundation nor conceivable longevity.

I need a drink.

Irrelevent adorable puppy in a teacup

The Batlord · 11-13-2016, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

And more and more, mass produced goods have become obsolete with the advent and affordability of on-demand custom consumer goods via services like Redbubble, Skinit, Decalgirl, and a flood of on-demand web-based businesses, rendering the traditional print and textile industries practically irrelevant.

You're gonna have to explain that one. How can you clothe 7 billion people without mass produced goods?

Zhanteimi · 11-13-2016, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

I need a drink.

Well, there's one thing you can't consume digitally.

Oriphiel · 11-14-2016, 05:15 AM

Hey, I'm down to talk about all of this again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

Today has been a day of unsettling revelations and clarity about the world around me.

I'll be the first to confess that I have significant gaping holes in my understanding of contemporary society and culture, but I am doing my very best to overcome this. But from what little understanding I do have, I’ve failed to grasp how our economy functions at all with regard to the creative arts. I could not fathom how digital media markets were still a functional concept in 2016. I've had several discussions in various communities where I posed the question, “how does an industry exist selling goods which are infinitely replicable and distributable at no cost to the consumer?”

Because people are paying for a good/service, not for the packaging. The cost of manufacture is irrelevant when you're talking about a product of experience. For example, I could walk up to someone and sing a song for them, which wouldn't cost me anything to do. Because the song was made without expense, does that mean it is worthless? Are the feelings evoked in the listener worthless? Are they a fool for giving me a dollar for the experience?

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

Please do not misinterpret my intent - I am a tremendous advocate for compensating content creators for their work, but the current “legitimate” system of compensation is fundamentally broken. Streaming services fail completely at this task, as only .3% of unsigned artists and 2% of signed artists featured on the world’s largest streaming network earn royalties equivalent to or exceeding that of minimum-wage. (The situation is even more dire on the largest media website, YouTube, where the percentages of minimum-wage earners are only .07% of unsigned and .5% of signed artists, respectively.) So in an economy which has completely forsaken the arts, and in light of the inherently ungovernable nature of digital media, I was perplexed how is anyone in the media arts is to make any sort of living.

Dude, we get it. Itunes sucks. That's because digital goods are a relatively new market, and new markets are always playgrounds for corporate corruption. Back in the day, railroad workers used to get paid next to nothing, and they were treated like slaves. Now, when the government needs to create or maintain a railroad, the people who work on them aren't beaten and starved, and get paid a fair wage. As markets and industries age they become more stable and regulated. True, corruption will always exist in some capacity, just like how some employers hire illegal immigrants so that they can force them to work for basically free under threat of deportation. But on average, things do get better over time. Bandcamp has already proven that artists don't need a massive streaming conglomerate to sell their music. They can sell it directly to their audience, for whatever price they want, with minimal middle-man fees.

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

And the corruption of this system continues with the purchase by the customer, as iTunes media loses 100% of its value after first-sale and purchased content can never be resold. Does this not plainly demonstrate the nonsensical nature of the digital market? How does such a business model sustain itself when it in no way rewards the efforts of the content creators whose product it sells? This was a critical fault of the music industry for nearly half a century where labels engineered a system from which artists could never profit, but which has been infinitely refined to a corrupt perfection with the latest digital model.

Actually, digital goods can be resold. There are already many websites that pay for Steam keys, as well as digital content unlocked or purchased in-game. Not too long ago, there was a big blow-up over some websites that allowed people to gamble their weapon/skin mods, because it turned out that the people shamelessly advertising it on Youtube failed to disclose that they were the owners, and that the whole system was rigged. Just like with physical goods, digital goods have clearly shown that they have a value, and that people are willing to do whatever it takes to acquire them. Just like how you spend hundreds to find a rare pressing of an album you already own that is aurally identical, so do people buy into seedy websites and drop hundreds of dollars for a chance to win a cosmetic mod that changes nothing about the gameplay. So please, do your homework before you talk about digital media.

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

And if my understanding of this is at all correct, then I must ask how is this matter not the paramount priority of our culture? Artists are a society’s means of grappling with all the troubles of the world and expressing all the horrors and beauties, both intrinsic and extrinsic, which encompass its very identity. It is how we understand ourselves. Shouldn’t the well-being of the arts be regarded as something of importance?

Oh, because the exploitation of artists is some new issue? Digital artists who sign on to large streaming networks may make little to nothing, but that's nothing compared to the physical record labels of old who intentionally put artists into debt with recording, pressing, and distribution fees. Things still suck, but not nearly as much as they used to. But yes, I also hope that people stop accepting the exploitation of artists, and demand that they receive fair wages. You should look into how video game programmers and voice actors are treated if you want some homework. Back in the day, some companies refused to even credit them. The man who designed the expertly crafted pre-rendered cutscenes in Silent Hill had to fight tooth and nail just to get his name on the project.

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

And the ludicrousness in no way ends with the media marketplace. After today’s conversations, it would appear that my error was apparently in my attempt to apply rationality and reason to an entirely illogical system. We as a nation produce very little, so there is no means of production for the workers to reclaim. Nearly our entire brick and mortar market system is comprised of foreign (or even virtual) goods.

It's called a service economy. You may hate it, but it's what gives you the luxury to sit on the internet and complain about corporations, while waiting for your package of artisinal goods to reach your doorstep.

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

I worked fox a big box corporation in 2012 with entire aisles of empty boxes priced at $30-$300 containing tiny slips of paper with a download code. It made absolutely no sense. Why would a brick and mortar market exist selling literally empty boxes with a markup on a virtual good which you could simply download online, legitimately or otherwise? These industries are consuming themselves and consolidating to fewer and fewer, larger and larger corporations in an effort to maintain a positive cash flow but an ever-increasing percentage of consumers are becoming sensible enough to purchase goods direct from producers or from virtual vendors with no overhead via the web, so the days of corporate brick and mortar are truly numbered. And more and more, mass produced goods have become obsolete with the advent and affordability of on-demand custom consumer goods via services like Redbubble, Skinit, Decalgirl, and a flood of on-demand web-based businesses, rendering the traditional print and textile industries practically irrelevant.

Someone who works two jobs just to stay alive isn't going to have the time or money for custom artisinal goods, when a one dollar t-shirt from the local thrift store or Walmart serves the same purpose at a fraction of the cost. Mass produced goods are ****ing awesome, because if you don't want them you can ignore them and buy your artisinal goods, but the people who literally need them don't have to pay big bucks just to clothe and feed themselves.

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

Evidently, in a phantom economy which produces nothing and does not adequately compensate its creators nor its workers, we are all just wage slaves living day in and day out as servants of illusory corporate stability which has no real foundation nor conceivable longevity.

Did you know?

The world sucks. It has always sucked, and it will always suck. The rich will exploit the poor, and the poor will exploit themselves. Artists will struggle, while thieves become kings. All we can do is carry on, and to try to make things at least a little bit better. You may think digital goods are a conundrum, but guess what? They're here, and they're here to stay. Instead of stealing what you want because in your mental calculations you figure you're hurting corporations more than artists, maybe you could try to figure out a way that artists can sell their music without getting screwed? Maybe you could look at the successes and failures of Itunes and Bandcamp, and design a system that's even better, without just throwing your hands up and saying "Digital goods confuse my morality. Let's just make everything free! Now the artists that make a penny per song can make nothing per song! Yay!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by innerspaceboy

I need a drink.

Yo, that better be an independently crafted drink. Don't want to piss off Big Hipster.