This document discusses applying radical market concepts like Harberger taxes to the arts. It suggests that intellectual property could use a Harberger-based system where artists pay a tax if they maintain copyright for an extended time or make derivatives of others' works proprietary. This could help support more artists by facilitating the turnover of ideas. Specific ideas proposed include taxing digital collectibles or memorabilia when they are sold, using Harberger taxes as the basis for collaborative art games, and exploring data as creative labor in new domains like memes. The goal overall is to promote a more abundant and connected experience of creativity.
1. Radical Markets in the Arts
Simon de la Rouviere (@simondlr).
ConsenSys / Ujo Music
2. Why?
- We all have been moved by the arts: a favourite song, book, film or meme.
- In a post-automation world, what do we do?
- We’ve already become en masse creators, but aren’t getting any of it?
- Solving the problems of the creator is solving the problems of increasingly larger portion of society.
- Art is great. It’s as old as humans ourselves. How do we make more of it?
- Art isn’t just about creativity, but also about the value of the connection.
3. Harberger Tax & IP Ownership
- Should IP be Harberger-based?
- How long should an artist maintain copyright?
- In terms of allocative efficiency, we KNOW we need to not keep ideas/IP captured forever.
- Copyright lasts 70 years in the US now.
- Patents expire.
4. Harberger Tax & IP Ownership
- Default is creative commons: -> if derivative is proprietary, pay tax to commons.
- Default is open source -> if derivative is proprietary, pay tax to commons.
- *Value in IP often by association*.
- A real Rolex will always be worth more than fake Rolex.
- A signed CD is worth more than non-signed CD.
- Communal IP ownership? Curate brand identity together.
5. Harberger Tax & Collecting
- We also own things to collect them. eg vinyl.
- Should a fan keep memorabilia forever?
- What if tax on memorabilia supports the artist/creator you bought it from?
6. Harberger Tax & Collecting
- Digital collectibles: New kind of patronage. Badges or other variations.
- Perfect for blockchain assets:
- eg CryptoKitties -> can subsume assets where owners have lost control.
- Blockchain still allows provenance of ownership: you don’t have it anymore, but your ownership is
forever, meaningfully etched into its history & story.
- Collecting Patronage (“Rare Patrons”)? Turnover as goal.
7. Harberger Tax *AS* art/games?
- Harberger Pixel Map. Pixels are have different property rights.
- Harberger Artonomous. -> Bot sells generative art. Tax goes to autonomous artist.
- Turnover as forcing function to collective art creation, and tax shared amongst contributors.
- eg New owner gets to add to art piece. eg, writing a collective book, harberger style. Incentivizes
keeping with form in “writing investment” to ensure that you can sell it again. Tax?
- Dada.nyc style? For visual art.
9. Unexplored?
- Data-As-Labor in other avenues besides social media? Memes? Meme Markets (see
memelordz.com).
- Migration Sponsorship for Arts?
- Questioning Anti-Trust in the Arts [eg BMI/Sony/UMG]?
- QV in playlists?
- QV in fan choice for musicians [minority fans gets to hear their song at a gig]?
- Legal innovation?
- Other markets?
- Curved Bonding & Curation Markets.
10. Commons Tax in the Arts?
- Turnover Rates?
- Prewitt suggests transfers should increase tax rate over time. [rewards creator and first investors]
- A market for turnover rates?
- How do we redistribute funds?
- Many self-organizing, opt-in tax regimes.
- Rights owners specify tax in their licenses.
- Curved Bonding? Incentivizes higher tax [if only way to participate in it].
- DAOs?
- Choosing where to pay tax? “Arcade Bazaar” or “Curation Clubs” -> community curates who can be
chosen.
11. Conclusion
- We’ve all been moved by art: a song, a movie, a book, a painting, a photograph, a meme.
- Exploring radical markets in the arts will lead to supporting lifestyles of many creatives, including
those who didn’t think they were creatives before.
- More importantly: an abundance of creativity alongside new, meaningful experiences.
- A new favourite song, a new favourite book, a new favourite painting, a new favourite photograph
and a new favourite meme.
- A new way to connect.
- Thanks!
12. References:
- Matthew Prewitt: https://medium.com/blockchannel/reimagining-property-fbce9d3832a4
- Luke Duncan: https://medium.com/hive-commons/harberger-taxation-and-open-
source-58dcdbab140d
- Simon de la Rouviere: https://blog.ujomusic.com/rare-patrons-exploring-radical-markets-patronage-
collecting-8c7ba243e81d
- https://medium.com/@simondlr/what-is-harberger-tax-where-does-the-blockchain-fit-
in-1329046922c6
- Radical Markets book.
