[linux-audio-user] Re: Attracting more Linux audio developers

From: Carlo Capocasa <capocasa@email-addr-hidden>
Date: Fri Dec 15 2006 - 17:31:25 EET

>> So the long run solution to the free audio problem is to persuade
>> everyone in our society to provide whatever he or her does for free and
>> find ways to make it accessible to everyone who wants it, and to make
>> the same efforts today's marketers do to communicate to people why they
>> should want it.
>>
> Why don't you start by persuading yourself to provide whatever you do
> for free, etc? It's easy to insist that others should do free work for
> you. But are you ready to do full time hard work for free for the others?

Of course. I developed a business plan to produce commercially salable
music and give it away for free and I am in the process of executing it.

This is an intermediate plan on the way to my vision of a society where
money is no longer necessary because people trust they will be able to
sustain themselves and work for the satisfaction of accomplishing what
they want to.

> Brilliant idea. Someone else should pay to somebody else so that you can
> get Linux audio software for free. What about paying for the software
> yourself?

'Attracting money' refers to advertising revenue, sales of
merchandising, and donations, which would pour in from people who
are grateful for getting my music for free. My productive contribution
comes from composing, arranging and producing the music, as well
as marketing it. As money comes in, a significant portion goes to the
developers in the form of donations.

> About the original subject: IMHO the only way to attract more Linux
> audio developers is paying for the software. Money is the reason why 90%
> of people do any work. Practically all professional audio software
> developers do they work for Win/Mac because the _paying_ customers use
> them. Linux audio software is being developed by amateurs because there
> is no market for professional developers.

I agree 100% with what you are saying, but I disagree that paying for
the software 'per unit' is a good idea because it kills network effects
and fosters competition.

My suggestion is to MAKE the donations model work through a dual selling
process: First you sell your user on the idea of using your software,
and THEN you sell your user on the idea of donating. That second sales
process takes the place of downright charging, and is a proper (if
challenging, until you get good at it) replacement for enforcing
intellectual property rights, which is simply impractical in the world
of infinite replicability that we have on the Internet.

I appreciate your comments, Hainu; I really think free software can be
much more than it is right now for the good of society, and I have
specific ideas on how to accomplish this, an I am infinitely grateful to
anyone who will take these ideas into consideration.

Have a great day!

Carlo
Received on Fri Dec 15 20:15:03 2006

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