Essentially, he says that we are living in interesting times.

The podcast discusses the traditional financial model of the music industry and comes to the conclusion that the traditional industry is no more. Instead of building your band to the point where a big company gives you a record contract, there are no barriers to entry. The internet has made it possible for every high school student with three chords and the truth to pick up a ukulele and make a music video. Many bands, including OK Go, are able to make a living managing themselves without the aid of the music industry.

Which is great, but it also means that the band is responsible for all of the cost as well as all of the profit. By removing the barriers to entry, we have also removed the protective financial covering from failure. The entire landscape has changed and no one knows exactly what to do to make both music and a living.

The music industry is a great way to see how the movie industry might change over the next couple of years. Internet entertainment like The Guild, Dr. Horrible, and Sita Sings the Blues show that it is possible to be both entertaining and to make a living off creative work.

No one knows exactly what will work, so we have to keep on trying.

Here they are:

You can’t copyright jokes, just like you can’t copyright cooking recipes.

You can, however, copyright performances and comedic personalities and collections of recipes. This means that people can steal jokes as long as they are not copying comedic personalities. This makes for a more robust and thriving creative environment. Even if someone “steals” another person’s work, the creative community enforces standards and keeps people honest.

Which leads to the discussion about Carlos Mencia. The reason comedians seem so upset with Carlos Mencia is that he doesn’t not give credit where credit is due. There are dozens of comedians who crib from each other, but they are honest about where they got the jokes from. Some comedians, like Milton Berle, even make jokes about cribbing.

This is one of the reasons the book was released under Creative Commons Attributions license is that I want people to steal the material in the book. Just put my name in the credits and everything will be fine. Don’t be a Carlos Mencia; be a Milton Berle.

Because they don’t.

Not directly, that is.

To make money, there needs to be a alternative source of income that is reinforced by the internet.

Take for example Sita Sings the Blues and Rip: A Remix Manifesto. Both of these films are available from their creators for free on the internet.

Both of these websites have stores that offer T-shirts, DVDs, and other accompanying products. The films also allow people to contact the directors for public appearances or speaking engagements. Through merchandise and speaking fees, the filmmakers are able to generate some income off of the films.

It is important to note that neither of these directors are pursuing the traditional Hollywood filmmaker career. They are blazing their own artistic trails. For them, money was not the goal of the project. The idea was to entertain or to convey a message, not primarily to make money. As a creator, it is up to you to decide why you are making your film. Is it for experience, fame, or money?