For centuries, it was necessary for performers to be present in “real time” to supply their services, such as music, dance, or drama. Labor time and human skill and capital were inextricably related. “Reproducibility”—the ability to make copies of human services that are adequate substitutes for “live” performance—has meant performers need not be present to supply their services, which can be recorded and supplied with economies of scale. Consumers do not need the live performer to be present to obtain their services. Demand for performers has therefore fallen. The same is, of course, true for non-performing authors. Such a scenario must have altered the balance of incentives for authors for how they ultimately decide to spend their time. The choices between working on producing copyrighted material (which will earn them income through royalties over the duration of the copyright), working for “spot” wages (either in related or in unrelated activities), and to take leisure must be closely related to the ability of copyright law to guarantee future income from copyrights. This article considers this situation in terms of a formal model of time allocation.
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