Yep, I just finished mixing a television series, and because I was an engineer on the project and not a creator, I didn't get in the royalty stream. It's a tough pill to swallow, but the industry really is divided into craftsmen vs. creators...

This is a great debate here. Thanks to everyone for the viewpoints. A few things: I agree that the length of time that the PRO's (performing rights organizations) are asking for is ridiculously long (mainly Disney's efforts here). Lessig is correct on this. Even though my work is infinitely reproducible, somebody has to pay for it to get made. Any movie or album that you love employed people for months or years. There will simply be less good art out there if we don't have good intellectual property protections. We're not getting any royalties from iTunes, Netflix or Hulu. We see the writing on the wall, so unless ASCAP and BMI can work out a royalty deal with major internet distribution channels, the PRO's will become dinosaurs as broadcast and cable TV fade away in the coming decades. I have to read more about the EFF to understand their position better. I'll post again.

As a music producer, my work can be heard on television and on various albums. With shrinking production budgets, I depend on royalties in order to pay my mortgage, feed my kids and upgrade my computer. I have a totally middle class income, and ASCAP is doing a great job trying to stop people from stealing my work. My composer and musician friends are all professionals, and we all need to pay for groceries. The next time you go out to eat, ask the chef if you can have the meal for free. Tell him that if he's really passionate about his work he should just share it with everyone.