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eznark's review against another edition
2.0
Doctorow presents a (false) choice between choke point capitalism and what comes across as entitlement capitalism (until, of course, we can overthrow capitalism altogether). I support private unions and think there are places for regulator intervention (Ticketmaster is a perfect example) however in too many of the chosen “choke points” the Doctorow solutions would make the bulk of the population worse off, add friction to nearly frictionless transactions and create a bizarre layer of content regulation boards which would necessarily devolve into the same payola scams he rails against.
Throughout the book there is a weird tension between Doctorows ideological opposition to capitalism itself and his clear grievance that Amazon won’t sell his books the way he wants them to (more expensive).
Throughout the book there is a weird tension between Doctorows ideological opposition to capitalism itself and his clear grievance that Amazon won’t sell his books the way he wants them to (more expensive).
notoriousesr's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Intellectual property scholar Rebecca Giblin and writer/activist Cory Doctorow team up to discuss the absolute mess that capitalism has made of the culture industry. They posit the idea of “chokepoint” capitalism, where businesses exploit creators by locking them into an anticompetitive environment and squeezing them for ever more, ever cheaper content.
Wow, US intellectual property law is a LEVIATHAN, isn’t it? This book was wildly detailed, which was very informative, but, I have to admit, got a bit boring sometimes. However, unlike many informative-but-boring books, I feel like I came away with a solid understanding of what a chokepoint is and how massive corporations exploit neoliberalism (a word they should’ve said more, in my opinion) to force creators to work for very little money. I read a review that said the solutions they posit in the second half of the book are too incremental or pie-in-the-sky, and there are some points where I agree with that assessment (some of the proposals rely on good faith... I mean, come on), but I do think that many of those reforms may seem small because they’re just obvious. 3 out of 5 DRM-free ebooks.
pocket_operator's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I read this book right after reading "Poverty, by America" and the two together are a one-two punch of detailing what's wrong with how our world works with respect to workers. I feel like my perspective has been changed by these two books. Not that I didn't know that something was wrong about how our economy seems to extract value from people without giving what it can back, but giving detailed examples of how this system came into being also gives hope. After all if exploiting workers is a deliberate march by large corporations, then it suggests it can be undone.
f6x's review against another edition
4.0
As enraging as it is energizing, this should be mandatory reading for anyone creating for or working on today’s digital distribution platforms.
pandagopanda's review against another edition
4.0
The most useful and compelling aspect of this book is the clear explanations of current monopolist and monopsonist business models, their “anti-competitive flywheels” and the authors’ demonstration of the hourglass pinch-point metaphor across each of them. I think this book is insightful for not only creatives but all citizens (had to change that from “consumer”). It certainly helped me understand these enormous businesses, the harms done, and something of how we got here.
If I struggled a little, it was in the weeds of more granular passages explaining quite technical aspects of, say, contracts and licensing, but even that I wouldn’t count against it. Overall I appreciate the depth and detail and feel much better informed for it.
If I struggled a little, it was in the weeds of more granular passages explaining quite technical aspects of, say, contracts and licensing, but even that I wouldn’t count against it. Overall I appreciate the depth and detail and feel much better informed for it.
howardgo's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
I picked this book up as a follow-up to The Age of Surveillance Capitalism. While that book is a detailed look at how we got to Big Tech and what to do about it, this book focuses on culture. It covers creative arts industries like book publishing, music, news, movies, video games, and live performances.
The first part of the book outlines how culture got in its current state where artists are beholden to Big Tech. Each chapter covers a different aspect of culture (i.e. books, music, live events, etc.). Part two covers the authors' proposed solutions to the issues outlined in the first part. These chapters are short and focus more on collective action than steps that individual artists can take.
This book is an excellent look at the problems Big Tech presents to artists and how artists can act collectively in response. It is a good companion to The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, especially if you are an artist or someone looking for a quick view on cultural issues in our digital world.
My rating: 4/5
My rating: 4/5