Content providers need a Clue

Written May 26. 1999, at 03:00 GMT.

Even if we don't have a decent micropayments system yet, content providers can still make some honest money directly from their users. A lot of users (I am one of them) would be quite willing to pay those who provide us with quality content - if it were only made easy for us...

A lot of content providers offer you an indirect way to pay them. Usually this means you have to buy books or CDs. Sure this works, if you are on your way to buy the stuff anyway, but the person you really want to give money to only receives a meager percentage of the sum spent. Even a leading digital network music distributor Mp3.com requires you to pay for having physical objects (CDs) made and shipped in snail-mail so that the artists (and Mp3.com) can have my money in return for the "free" music I've already downloaded and stored.

It doesn't take much to get my money. Only one secure page where I can type in my credid card number and the amount I would like to donate.

More like this: English Entries, .