Yeah, the solution to being trapped inside a changing system/distribution model is not to scream at people who are on the frontline of the curve. It's to figure out how to move with the model. I, likewise, am not a fan of Cory Doctorow's fiction, but he is modeling a successful way to distribute work within the new framework. So, for that matter, is Trent Reznor! One interesting thing I note about both cases is the considerable power and following both men have, which I suspect goes a long way in terms of adapting to the model.

I know as a freelancer I'm definitely struggling with a tiny corner of this much larger issue, in the fact that it's increasingly easy for publications to get content free/at low cost, making it less appealing to hire people like me and pay them actual money. Do I adapt to that by yelling at people who give work away? Uh...no. I find a way to work within that framework and to provide a compelling argument for the value of paid journalism.

I think, re:Ok Go, etc, that we are starting to see more a shift here, with people building up big online fandom and turning that into a more concrete earnings model. One thing I love about this is the bypassing of the traditional gatekeepers; while record companies/publishers/studios/etc. do serve a function, sometimes they suppress good work and I like to see people subverting this model.