The title of this post comes from co-blogger David Henderson’s beautiful 2001 book, “Joy of Freedom: An Economist’s Odyssey.” It’s one of my favorite books. David captures liberal optimism in a way several authors can. Since David wrote the book, the world has been engaging in the digital age. The internet spike, cheap digital storage and transmission, and cloud computing have resulted in an astonishing level of creativity and entertainment. Especially the indie scene.
An indie (independent) artist is an artist who is not bound by a particular film studio, video game studio, or music label. Before the digital world, artists need to sign a studio to become a viable artist. The studio dealt with many of the “backroom” elements of art: promotion, distribution, production, etc. To reduce artist revenue, the studio reduced artist costs. However, the system was hard work with corruption that would turn off the impassioned heat that the studio could not do, IP ownership, and other conditions that would incredibly undermine the artist’s production capacity (see here the section “Averse Capitalism or Hate a Certain Capitalist”). Furthermore, the studio was thwarted to act like a conspiracy from the oligopolies. A small group of few lark companies that conspired to keep prices higher through cuts. Constent had limited the art genre to what the studios decided to be “In” that year. With the exception of total, the art of the underlying form was not widely promoted.
Digital has been led into a new era of creative freedom. With the rise of digital content platforms such as YouTube and later Spotify, artists were able to cut out intermediaries. Websites promote art to hosts, distribution, and future consumers (through increasingly sophisticated algorithms). Furthermore, the marginal cost of using these sites is virtually zero, allowing indie artists to produce new music and distribute it quickly. All sorts of new genres and great music have begun to emerge: new covers of Lo-Fi, Synthwave, Atmospheric, Classic Hits, and more. Certainly, my friends listen to bands who use different blunt instruments to create music against a variety of flat surfaces. Is it a niche? fork. But it’s his niche and thanks to the liberal market, he can enjoy it.
The same is true in video games. The three big studios (Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft) continue to create and promote their own games, but there is also a digital storefront where indie developers can sell the games. Like Canada-based Sabotage Studio, Sub Sudios made it a big hit. Sea of Stars, the 2023 game, has sold over 6 million copies since its release in August 2023. It’s a love letter to classics like Chrono Trigger. Other studios like Finland-based Remedy Entertainment were Uble to break into the big leagues with the hit Alan Wake (and Late Control). Alan Wake and Control is a Lovecraft inspired game that relies heavily on the atmosphere to tell their stories. It’s a game that’s like an existence, but it was a pretty rare digital one before. Currently, indie games have their own sectors in digital stores and their own game awards ceremonies.
Liberal markets have produced digitalization rather than merchandising or central planning. The market process has broken down barriers (costs) that hinder the development of the niche. Contrary to the story of “market failures,” these barriers to entry were the various things that owned the downfall of the cartel. Creative entrepreneurs have found ways to enter barriers by digitizing things. CNCELLY will become atmospheric music created by South African musicians through digital streaming services under CD, as the market expands and people like me sit in Louisiana and LISTE.
The joy of freedom is not just about finding the elbow room from a fierce estimation of one’s “better” (to paraphrase Thomas Sowell). It’s creative, enjoyment, ability to satisfy your niche. Do you want to be a heavy metal song about Hauso Sam to become a dwarf? You can have it. A gender vanes version of Stacy’s mom called Stacy’s dad? Friends, do I have news for you? Freedom is freedom to become you. The market promotes that freedom.
