--- steve gottlieb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > even if a library is state-funded, it isn't > necessarily > completelystate-funded. and further, not all > state-funded services are > free.
True, we pay for many state-run services. However, the question remains: what services are libraries actually providing if access to their holdings (especially in some sort of computerized format) is made difficult? Preservation? Merely keeping an item in a relative state of stasis seems rather pointless if use of the information contained therein is discouraged. In the case of written music it needs to be remembered that, as Alfonso pointed out, the book is in fact NOT the music - unless it is in a performer's hands. Consider this: how many of us would be driving cars if getting a limited one-month licence from the government cost $200 each time we needed it? Chris > > > On 4/10/07, Howard Posner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > wrote: > > > > On Tuesday, Apr 10, 2007, at 15:53 > America/Los_Angeles, Denys Stephens > > wrote: > > > > > I have a lot of sympathy with your view that > > > art belongs to everyone,and in that sense we > > > shouldn't have to pay for it. > > > > But Alfonso didn't say that. He said "these books > belong to humanity." > > > > > But if that's > > > totally true, shouldn't we all perform for > > > free and just give away our recordings to people > > > who like them? The major libraries of the > > > world surely cost a lot of money to run, > > > > I think Alfonso's point is that the libraries are > state-funded > > institutions, which means that they're paid twice, > in essence -- once > > from taxes, and again from user fees -- and the > user fees, while an > > insignificant source of funds for the institution, > are high enough to > > discourage the materials from actually being used. > > > > > and > > > if we pay them for copies of musical sources > > > they own, are we not helping to preserve them > > > for the benefit of future generations? - > > > > I suppose that's the idea. The question is > whether it works that way > > in practice. > > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > -- > ____________________________________________________________________________________ Finding fabulous fares is fun. Let Yahoo! FareChase search your favorite travel sites to find flight and hotel bargains. http://farechase.yahoo.com/promo-generic-14795097
