“Note that this isn't the same as saying I'm entitled to the output of professional entertainers for free.”
Logically coexist with this:
“Paying for entertainment always seemed "wrong" somehow. That includes paying for it with attention, like watching commercials or enduring sponsorships on YouTube.”
I’m being serious. Stuff costs money to make, seems logical that somehow compensation can be acquired for creative work somehow.
The other statement is my ideal where creators are free to make things they actually enjoy, and that I might. Take video games, for example. I find the deepest and most rewarding experiences to be had in free games (e.g., Dwarf Fortress, ToME, and various rogue-likes), compared to the output of the for-pay video game producers, like EA.
Creating stuff does cost money, energy, and/or time. In the former example, I might be inclined to donate to the project, and if I don't, others usually will. Or, they can just give it away and not ask for donations too, which many (including me) do. Imagine the world of entertainment working similar to FOSS, as a good example we're all familiar with. Like with FOSS, it changes the nature of the product produced, arguably for the better.
You can read it for free, but by your logic, perhaps I should charge you a monthly service fee, or start each comment with a ad spot...
Technically this comment is costing me money to make, internet isn't free, neither is the food I eat to sustain myself.
Logically coexisting none the less.
But when I think about it the fact that it seems outrageous at first glance really tells me how consumerist I am, not sure that I like this.
Simple example: Say you want to have fun with your children. Instead of buying an entertainment outlet, like going to an amusement park, maybe go on a hike, write some code, or tell stories. If you insist on spending money, don't pay for the entertainment as a product, but buy some supplies to build something. As a grown-up now, I look back on those events more fondly from childhood than any of the purchased activities.