A deeply researched warning about how the digital economy threatensartists' lives and work—the music, writing, and visual art that sustain oursouls and societies—from an award-winning essayist and criticThere are two stories you hear about earning a living as an artist in the digital age. One comes from Silicon Valley. There's never been a better time to be an artist, it goes. If you've got a laptop, you've got a recording studio. If you've got an iPhone, you've got a movie camera. And if production is cheap, distribution is free: it's called the Internet. Everyone's an artist; just tap your creativity and put your stuff out there.The other comes from artists themselves. Sure, it goes, you can put your stuff out there, but who's going to pay you for it? Everyone isnotan artist. Making art takes years of dedication, and that requires a means of support. If things don't change, a lot of art will cease to be...