The Pleasure of Freedom within the Digital Age

The title of this submit comes from co-blogger David Henderson’s stunning 2001 e book The Pleasure of Freedom: An Economist’s Odyssey. It’s one in every of my favourite books; David captures the optimism of liberalism in a method few different authors can.  Since David wrote the e book, the world has entered the Digital Age.  The proliferation of the Web, low-cost digital storage and transmission, and cloud computing has enabled superb ranges of creativity and leisure to come up.  Particularly, the indie scene.

Indie (unbiased) artists are artists who should not tied to a selected film studio, online game studio, or music label.  Earlier than the digital world, an artist would want a contract with a studio to be a viable artist.  The studio dealt with lots of the “backroom” parts of artwork: promotion, distribution, manufacturing, and so on.  For a reduce of the artist’s income, the studio decreased prices for the artist.  This technique, nevertheless, was usually rife with corruption with studios usually imposing egregious phrases, IP possession, and different circumstances that considerably weakened the artist’s potential to supply (see right here within the part “Hating Capitalism, or Hating Particular Capitalists”).  Moreover, the studios tended to behave like conspiring oligopolies: a small group of enormous corporations who colluded to maintain costs comparatively excessive by decreasing manufacturing.  Consequently, the genres of artwork have been restricted to regardless of the studios determined was “in” for that yr.  With some exceptions, radical types of artwork weren’t promoted extensively.

The digital period ushered in a brand new period of artistic freedom.  With the rise of digital content material platforms like YouTube and later Spotify, artists may reduce out the intermediary.  The web sites would host, distribute, and (by way of more and more subtle algorithms) promote the artwork to potential customers.  Moreover, because the marginal price of utilizing these websites is nearly zero, indie artists may produce new music and distribute it quickly.  All kinds of recent genres and good music started to emerge: lo-fi, synthwave, atmospheric, new covers of traditional hits, and so forth.  Certainly, my pal listens to a band that simply makes use of numerous blunt devices towards numerous flat surfaces to supply their music.  Is it area of interest?  Sure.  However it’s his area of interest and because of liberal markets, he is ready to take pleasure in it.  

We see the identical factor in video video games.  Whereas the Huge Three studios (Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft) proceed to supply and promote their very own video games, additionally they have digital storefronts the place indie builders can promote their video games.  Some studios, like Canada-based Sabotage Studio, have hit it huge: their 2023 recreation Sea of Stars has offered over 6 million copies because it was launched in August 2023.  Sea of Stars is a retro-inspired JRPG; it’s a love letter to classics like Chrono Set off.  Different studios, like Finland-based Treatment Leisure have been in a position to break into the massive leagues with their hit Alan Wake (and later Management).  Alan Wake and Management are Lovecraft-inspired video games that rely closely on ambiance to inform their tales.  Video games like these existed, however have been pretty uncommon pre-digital.  Now, indie video games have their very own sections on digital shops and their very own recreation award ceremonies.  

Liberal markets, not mercantilism or central planning, created digitization.  The market course of broke down the limitations (the prices) stopping niches from creating.  Opposite to the “market failure” story, these limitations to entry have been the very factor that sowed the downfall of the cartels.  Inventive entrepreneurs discovered a method across the limitations to entry by making issues digital.  Consequently, the market expanded, and people like me can sit in Louisiana and hearken to atmospheric music created by a South African musician by way of a digital streaming service that prices lower than a CD.

The enjoyment of freedom comes not simply from discovering elbow room from the raging presumptions of 1’s “betters” (to paraphrase Thomas Sowell).  It’s the potential to be artistic, to take pleasure in, to fulfill a distinct segment.  Would you like a heavy steel music about how superior it’s to be a dwarf?  You’ll be able to have it.  A gender-bendered model of Stacy’s Mother referred to as Stacy’s Dad?  Buddy, do I’ve information for you.  Freedom is the liberty to be you.  Markets promote that freedom.