Stirling describes a wonderful plan for a new world order in the arts.

Beethoven wrote, January 1801, to his publisher and "brother in music"
 [sic], Hofmeister, "...  because I wish it [business and artists] could
be otherwise in this world.  There ought to be an artistic depot where the
artist need only hand in his artwork to receive what he asks for [carry
away whatever he needed]".  Later, the Beatles had the idea of Apple, where
as John said in a press interview announcing the effort, (paraphrase) 'so
artists would not to have to get down on his knees in somebody's office,
probably yours...' [laughter from the press]

The fact is that we live in a civilization where the A student works for
the C student thus the joke, "what does a graduate from the School of Arts
and Sciences call a graduate from the School of Business? Boss.".  The
intelligent like to work alone, while the others survive by becoming "team
players", requiring the assignment of a ranking number - alpha wolf, beta
wolf, gamma wolf, delta wolf, etc.  Thus the ratio of 10 businessmen to 1
artist.

Although most artists would endorse your scenario, being that they value
themselves by their contribution to mankind, the businessman would not even
consider the idea, being that they value themselves by their possessions.

But, the meak are inheiriting the Earth as the Internet makes UPS drivers
out of the middlemen in the arts, and as their rational for their existance
- talent control, competition control, marketplace control, etc.  are going
the way of the feudal system, at least in the arts.

I think we are at the dawn of a Golden Age in the Arts.  Now all we need is
some suffering to draw the great huddled masses toward it, and as you say,
the recession is on the way.  (Stocks can't trade at 400 times earnings for
very long.  George Will calls the new economy a new form of capitalism -
"capitalism without profits".  At last we have removed that thorny issue
(profits) from the picture.  Now we can all get rich.)

The real issue, for me is, who will see to it that they don't contort the
evolution of electronic distribution in the arts so as to guarantee a place
for themselves.  They are not going to like saying "just sign here" when it
refers to a UPS delivery slip rather than a exclusive contract (written in
fine print so as to save paper and help the environment.)

Artists, unite.  The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for
good men to do nothing:-).

Bill Pirkle