These systems have no central organization and can maintain the anonymity of individual users, eliminating any possible targets for legal action. It is reasonable to conclude that the publishers attempt to retain control over distribution of content runs a very high risk of failure. Songwriter and visionary John Perry Barlow, along with many others, have suggested that publishers and creators should expect to derive revenue from their content only by indirect means. But that strategy looks problematic as well. But it s becoming increasingly clear that this king has no clothes.
Subscriptions don t work.
Slate tried and abandoned the subscription model, and is now losing money with advertising instead. Syndication doesn t work. Major Net syndicators like ScreamingMedia, and iSyndicate have yet to show any significant revenues from syndication deals. Even smaller-scale syndicators with proven offline track records, such as Mondo Media, are far from turning a profit with their Internet initiatives. Guilt doesn t work.