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Well, the issue is relatively simple in summary but difficult in practice.
The artists need to get paid.
The publishers need to get paid.
The distributors need to get paid.
The marketers need to get paid.
The consumer must get value.
The consumer must get reasonable flexibility with what they've purchased.
The consumer must have choice.
The consumer must have alternatives.
It sounds easy, but the issue is the very nature of digital products. They take virtually no work or time to reproduce once there is a master file. So what we have is a spectrum that revolves around that master file. On one side, you have the time, energy, and dedication that goes into making it, selecting it, refining it, and bringing it to the marketplace. On the other side, you have the money, time, and energy spent on consuming the product, and the expectations of usage in all aspects of owning the rights to it.
It shouldn't be a tug of war, but it is. Artists, producers, etc., control the product to ensure that they get paid for their labour and that there are no free rides unless they permit it. Consumers don't want to be told how to use what they've paid for.
So what gives?
Do producers know what they're really creating anymore? Do consumers know what they're really consuming anymore?
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Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
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