"Criticism will survive even if no one's paying for it. Obviously it's better if people are paying for it. But the fact that artists weren't able to make a living from their work hasn't detracted from the quality of that work. Charles Ives was the second greatest composer in American history and he worked in insurance his whole life." - Ignatiy Vishnevetsky
"Who is Ignatiy Vishnevetsky and why should I care?" you ask?
Read about his background here:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2011/01/roger-ebert-pbs-show-critics-ignatiy-vishnevetsky.html
[Lest anyone be confused, I'm generally in favor of paying artists for work and creating rational incentives. I'm just against the current irrational copyright regime and intellectual monopolies.]