Jan Hopmans 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (62) comment rss

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 05 Apr, 2009 @ 03:02am

    Re: Re: Re: Piracy

    I know what a sponsorship is. :) I just don't like it.
    There are other ways. A lot of other ways.

    Think of it: if I like your music I finance your next CD ... together with a lot of other fans. I like and finance it, I don't want company names to be spammed around.

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2009 @ 05:03pm

    Re: Piracy

    I must say I disagree with you on the 'I think if piracy can be stopped, that's great.' I absolutely love the possibility's from the consumers stand point and I can see the possibility's from the creators side.

    I don't know if you have read this: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20070503/012939.shtml
    But there are a lot more things that can be sold. Don't just solely think of a sponsorship. I personally hate any of that kind of advertisement. I only believe in mouth to mouth and I HATE all the rest, but I won't go in to detail about that here.

    I agree that arguing free is wasting your time. It won't work, and others will be faster to adapt. What I wanted to say: Look for other scarce goods. Write down all the things you can think of that are possibly related. Write down everything, every little thing, it does not matter what.

    Divide them in two categories: Things than can easily be duplicated copied, in the second list you put everything that can't be copied or duplicated, things that take some kind of effort, a scarce good. While doing this you might even come up with more things that might be related. Don't be afraid to at those to your list. When done with all that, everything, you have two lists: One with the scarce and one with the infinite. Give away all the infinite a lot as much as you can. Make it be good and try to sell all the rest. This way you can make a profit.
    Over time you might even come up with more ideas, just add them to the list and check if they are scarce or infinite.

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2009 @ 04:44pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    "Think about it. Would it be any more logical if ticketmaster said "we are going to give away your tickets, and only collect our usual fee, and we will keep all the money, because we are giving you FREE GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION"?
    With how much money Ticketmasters charges for this they could easily do this.
    But in the normal world this is stupid: it is one of the scarce good you could charge for. There only fit a XX amount of people in front of that stage. The artist only has an XX amount of time. This is one of the ways for artist where money could be made.
    Ofcourse they also could add advertisement, But I know I won't be there anymore when that happens...

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2009 @ 03:51pm

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Wow again

    I don't think that is going to work.
    I want to play my music how I want it, when I want it.

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2009 @ 03:49pm

    Re: Re: Wow again

    Artist have the right to get paid. There is no law saying "all music must be free" The artists have a right to get paid.You aren't entitled to get paid, you only may have an opportunity to get paid.

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2009 @ 12:33pm

    Re: Re: No one gets paid

    I must say she actually has some point, beside from the fact there are quite some easy ways to make some money, it's right you shouldn't expect any money. Any money you get than is profit.

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2009 @ 12:26pm

    Re: Re: And yet...

    Look around you, apparently it is. =)

  • On the post: Can We Please End The Myth That Anyone Is Trying To Take Away 'The Right Of Musicians To Get Paid'?

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 04 Apr, 2009 @ 12:11pm

    Re: Re: Re:

    No but the 'artist' don't have the right to dictate their fans either.

    If they use a bad business model they shouldn't expect to make any profit. If I choose to share my pencil I should be able to do that, If I can do that with the original pencil still at hand I should be able to do. 'Artists' shouldn't be able to infringe my right.

    They can still make profit with limited editions, charging money to create the albums, spreading t-shirts, live performances, dinner with your grandmother. The distribution of music increases the value of these goods they should use that. They shouldn't expect to make money selling an infinite good. [mind you, a CD is not infinite, a download isn't, the music is.]

    They shouldn't make money on something that can be easily copied and shared. Copyright is just a government granted monopoly, there was music before that and there will be music after.

    For a certain amount time major record labels dictated what you listened, and I won't be sorry if the abolition of copyright deprive them of that 'right'. It makes the real quality count again, not something that got granted the 'infinite copyright'.

    Thank god for the internet. It will only be just a while.
    Thank god for the internet.

  • On the post: Amanda Palmer Asks Fans To Upload Her Anti-Record Label Song To YouTube

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 30 Mar, 2009 @ 11:38am

    Re:

    Would you think Amanda would ever get on MTV & Late Night Shows etc with her record label pushing her?
    No way, no way!

    I know the people that listen to this music and they aren't the crowd that watch that. They are the 'crowd' that discover music from their friends not music labels.
    YouTube is one of the main ways to share music with your friends. So yeah she will benefit a lot from being on YouTube.

  • On the post: Josh Freese's $250 Option Sells Out In Less Than 48 Hours

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 28 Mar, 2009 @ 08:28am

    Most people I know get their music from friends. Friends get it from friends or befriended artist.

    It isn't the only place, far from it.

    I just download random shit and I like that. :)

  • On the post: Josh Freese's $250 Option Sells Out In Less Than 48 Hours

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2009 @ 08:59pm

    Sorry, had to react on this. Need to go to bed though, 4:45AM...

    As you mature into adulthood you will likely find that your "music fund" is slowly, but inexorably, converted into your "taxes/insurance/mortgage/etc. fund".
    But... but... People still spend money on entertainment right?

    People will always want to spend money on entertainment, I can't afford dining at a restaurant at my age. Still I see older people do it, they have other priorities. Not missing the money.
    They could always do so, they just don't want. In other situations these people also wouldn't have bought 'music entertainment' either.

  • On the post: Josh Freese's $250 Option Sells Out In Less Than 48 Hours

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2009 @ 08:40pm

    Radiohead is a great example of the momentum created by years and years in a very well oiled record label / artist management system, not any great thing that they did.I sent links from bands to my friends, If bands used it Music and Lyrics could be added. Great bands can now be great. Distribution with a lot of value at virtually no cost. I will freely spread it because I enjoy it!

    Lesser known band earlier never did get attention. The signal to noise ratio has always been screwed, distribution has been screwed.

    Remember I don't like American Idol, They are shit, just to bind some shitty artist in a shitty music contract. All my music is music you probably never heard of or just really old. Music my dad think is old, Music he liked and music that is now current.
    I listen underground, I listen old rock artist and I listen Mozart. How ever would Guns 'n' Roses ever be shared?
    Check the sales on Guns 'n' Roses t-shirts, they aren't bought by my dad, but the 14-15yo kids I see on the street.
    Where did they discover it?


    Somebody has just sent it to them over a instant messenger client.

  • On the post: Josh Freese's $250 Option Sells Out In Less Than 48 Hours

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2009 @ 08:29pm

    Jan, the point on price and value is that the "value" Mike refers to is the value to attract people to sell them something elseI must say I think you are wrong on that one. I think the 'value' Mike refers to is the value that it's worth to you. Music is worth a lot to me but I am not going to pay for digital distribution.
    I like digital distribution because it's free & easy to experiment. It has value because it has no cost.

    I don't know how much money you spent on music in your youth? But currently we easily spent hundreds a year on music alone, Imagen if we grow older?

    Imagine music as an endless American Idol
    I don't watch American Idol.

  • On the post: European Parliament Still Debating Three Strikes Laws

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2009 @ 06:51pm

    At least I am happy the Dutch government already came to the conclusion that this would be 'against the law' to implement or require ISP's to do.

    I don't know the exact details.

  • On the post: Josh Freese's $250 Option Sells Out In Less Than 48 Hours

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 27 Mar, 2009 @ 06:44pm

    60% of the people who downloaded Radiohead's album paid nothing.
    But still:
    Radiohead made more money this way
    They are your own words. :)

    Yes, you are right, price and value are linked. But they also aren't the same. :)


    p.s. Would love to see this:
    a near infinite amount of music
    Have you ever been on What.CD? I love to just constantly look around there. Pick some random artist and download it. Enjoy it.
    And yes, even without it being paid still a lot of music would be made. And I don't care, I have a lot better music there from people who don't get a dime than from artists that make millions. Yes, I also love going to concerts and own the amount of CD's I can afford and more Vinyls than any one I know.

    I am 19 and I own more vinyl than my dad.

  • On the post: Software Development Is A Scarce Good

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2009 @ 03:59pm

    Linux hasn't existed for 30 years. Try early 90's, when Windows already had a toehold in the market. That's less than 2 decades.Actually it just celebrated it's 15th birthday, but you were right, nobody has pointed it out.

    And Harold, He's getting paid and is giving away his software for free. How is that not getting paid for giving away something for free?
    Is there a flaw in our logic that we missed a step where he sold a product instead of his time spend to develop it?

    I think you maybe some day could better shut the fuck up. If you don't want to get it, don't.

  • On the post: You Can't Wait For The Perfect Business Model

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2009 @ 03:44pm

    Weird Harold.

    Shut the fuck up and get a dictionary!

    Stealing != Copyright infringement.

    A Download != a lost sale.

  • On the post: Software Development Is A Scarce Good

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2009 @ 10:14am

    In every case where you argue that something should be free you reference "business models" based on the theft of free products.

    I don't think you get the actual meaning of the word theft. So here is something to help you:

    * larceny: the act of taking something from someone unlawfully; source.

    You don't take something AWAY from someone here.



    All of your claims to fame come back to Linux which is a perfect example of how "free" hurts/slows development.

    Tell that to RedHat.



    a few geeks that love it enough to invest their time for free.

    Not exactly a few, and last time I heard half of them were paid.



    All these socalled "perfectly legitmate business models" are built around the general theft of someone elses product and giving that product away for free while adding some service too it. AKA Ubunto, Redhat, and all the others.


    Actually they use somebody else his work, again check the definition of theft, and add value on their own.



    Your crying because I choose not go give up my software to allow someone else to build a business model around my software. Why should I? What is the incentive to me?

    What about more people using your software, getting more support contracts, and have some of those 'few' geeks help you developing the software even further? Maybe you should think of letting your depend on you skills instead of a lock-in to a infinite good?

    Maybe you should try to stay ahead, make use of scarce and infinite goods. Your competition won't sit still either and if they get there you may be to late.


  • On the post: Software Development Is A Scarce Good

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 16 Mar, 2009 @ 05:39am

    Just think about what people want to buy!!

    It's not like they don't want to give money away. It's just not like they want to give away money for something they self can easily recreate.

    Think about what people want except the software itself. They want it developed!
    Give them support contracts, give them a virtual server, give them back-ups, give them bug fixing, give them development, make them work together to get their things paid. Yes I see a lot of free infinite goods, but I barely see anyone making money out of it.
    While they so easily could...

    And @Thom: I have to agree software is Art, for every good you have a thousand bad. =) And to the contrast what some believe some people actually enjoy coding and loose themselves in it. =)

  • On the post: European Parliament Committee Backs Further Hack Of Roaming Charges

    Jan Hopmans ( profile ), 12 Mar, 2009 @ 06:41am

    Repost of the above with decent formatting:

    'it's likely the market would have brought prices down on its own' What planet are you guys on?

    I must say I fully agree with that. The market wouldn't ever pressured the operators to bring the price down.

    For instance already one problem: there is only a certain amount of room for operators to operate on. I thought the range for operators to use is only big enough for 5operators at a time. The frequencies are sold through an auction, highest bidder gets the frequency: and it has to be paid.



    Second, Europe isn't like the US: we are a set of different countries. It's very, very easy to roam on a neighbours country's network without even knowing. I had times when I was on the network of Belgium even though I live 20-30km away from the border. Remember the Netherlands is only ~270km wide!



    While I am here will add another one: Look at the competition in the US, Europe and compare...

Next >>