Today I came across these two articles, The Internet Debacle and Fallout, both by folk singer Janis Ian, both arguing in favor of free/low-cost music downloads. She outlines the many ways in which extensive downloading can generate more money for both artists and the labels, and puts forwards some reasons why the labels are opposing it. It’s good to see insiders—people like artists, which the RIAA is supposed to be “protecting”—put forward arguments like this. From what I’ve heard, recording artists are never very well paid anyway, except for the few that make it big. And so, if downloaded music isn’t actually hurting the artists, and may even be helping them, you have to ask yourself why the labels and the RIAA oppose it so much. Follow those links above to get some of the answers.

And for an economic analysis, here’s an article by Vin Crosbie that says people are willing to buy music online, but the price is closer to 10 cents a pop. The online services that music companies are putting out are going to fail because they’re priced way too high, and the music companies are killing the market by refusing to lower prices to a point that people are willing to pay. So, illegal file sharing will continue, and music companies are unwittingly encouraging it by being so inflexible.

Po Bronson: What Should I Do With My Life?

Your calling isn’t something you inherently “know,” some kind of destiny. Far from it. Almost all of the people I interviewed found their calling after great difficulty. They had made mistakes before getting it right. […] Most of us don’t get epiphanies. We only get a whisper — a faint urge. That’s it. That’s the call. It’s up to you to do the work of discovery, to connect it to an answer. Of course, there’s never a single right answer. At some point, it feels right enough that you choose, and the energy formerly spent casting about is now devoted to making your choice fruitful.

The article apparently is based on a book by the same name, one that I might just have to check out. I feel different from a lot of people, though, in that I already do what I enjoy. I’m not expecting to be in the same job for my whole life, though, and as computers evolve my job might one day become obsolete. It’s important to always keep in mind what you enjoy doing, what kind of life you want to lead, and where your priorities are. This article, and book, just gives you a little more inspiration in doing that.