Forbes Michael Humphrey writes about musician David Byrne´s concerns about Amazon´s new venture Kindle Unlimited, a service that for only $9.99 a month gives you access to 600,000 titles and thousands of audiobooks:

So here’s a question for book lovers: Are you willing to pay big bucks to see your favorite authors in “concert?” Can you imagine dropping between $50 and $100 to hear an author read from their books or give a speech? Maybe you already have, and can, and so it’s probably not Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling or Stephen King that we need to fret about. They will have the negotiation power to make themselves money and the following to break off on their own if they wish. As Byrne writes: “Some of us have other sources of income, such as live concerts, and some of us have reached the point where we can play to decent numbers of people…”

But would you pay $5 to $10 for an author that you have barely heard of? Probably not. As Byrne notes, “Writers, for example, can’t rely on making money from live performances – what are they supposed to do? Write ad copy?”

This has already been the case for many writers, whose core work turns out to be a loss leader. Many teach, one former poet laureate sold insurance, others get by on grants. Some of them, yes, write ad copy. For $9.99 a month to read a never ending stream of books, they may not be your biggest concern.

But the arts “streaming” phenomenon, which now appears inevitable, does come at a price that no one seems willing to pay. And when it rolls all the way down, it inevitably hits the creators, especially those who don’t have the time and space to write your next favorite books, songs, and scripts. It is not a world without entertainment, but it’s one nearing all-or-nothing status. And that’s a problem.

“A culture of blockbusters is sad,” Byrne concluded, “and ultimately it’s bad for business. That’s not the world that inspired me when I was younger. Many a fan (myself included) has said that ‘music saved my life’, so there must be some incentive to keep that lifesaver available for future generations.”

Reading this, it reminds me of something Joe Walsh from The Eagles said when appearing at Daryl´s House (video). Raises concerns, doesn´t it?

Featured image: David Byrne via The Talks. Copyright by Getty Images.