22

no CopYRighT

and no CulTuRal

ConglomeRaTes: neW

oppoRTuniTies FoR

aRTisTs

Joost Smiers

let us imagine that the system of copyright no longer existed: the practice of many
artists would surely change considerably. it would not only have significant impact on
the daily practice of artists and their entrepreneurs, but also, no doubt, on research.
such studies which consider, for example, how to use different sources of inspiration
more freely; how to interrelate with audiences and possibly use their inputs; how to make
judgements about quality; how to archive works that may change periodically; how to
disseminate works in digital environments while maintaining, or not, an overview of
their use; how to organize cultural enterprises in a world in which copyright no longer
exists; and finally how creative and performing artists can make a decent living from
their efforts.
next, let us imagine the less imaginable. if we can agree that, from a democratic
perspective, cultural conglomerates dominate markets, then we might decide that they
should be cut up using anti- trust or competition policies for example, which would
result in a substantial increase in the number of owners of the means of production and
distribution of artistic expression. The field for the production, distribution, promotion
and reception of all forms of the arts would change radically and would, in turn, bring
far reaching consequences for the kind of research challenges with which artists would
be confronted.
initially i will argue why such drastic measures like the abolition of copyright and
the curbing of market domination of cultural conglomerates would be necessary. This
then leads to the question of what are the new realities within which artists and their
entrepreneurs could manoeuvre. Furthermore, we might also consider what kind of,
perhaps unexpected, issues these artists might find for research in and around their
canvas, music scores, e- books, digital films, theatre stages and video screens.