The problem is not copyright itself. The problem is that the creators are not the copyright owners any more.
This is a very subtle distinction. We should do all we can to help creators, not publishers. Publishers have their place in the distribution chain, but they should not be allowed to act as if they were the creators.
If the publisher's business model is failing, so be it. Publishers and gatekeepers are not worth saving. Creators are. Support creators. Buy CDs directly from the artists. Buy them through the shortest distribution chain possible (even if that might be Amazon or Apple).
Create laws that make copyright an unalienable right, thus forcing publishers back to the publishing business that is rightly theirs.
> The problem is that the creators are not the copyright owners any more.
I'm not sure.
A singer and songwriter aren't the only people involved in a music product. Likewise a song isn't the only thing involved in a music track. It involves production, for example, investment, the confluence of a variety of artistic, technical, management and manufacturing skills. Why shouldn't a music company have some claim over the copyright of the finished product?
Unalienable rights can not be created or destroyed; the law only attempts to offer legal protection for them.
Furthermore, if an artist wants to sell IP ownership of his work then there's no reason he shouldn't be free to do so.
Your main point, however, is a good one. Disruptive distribution channels should be able to fix this by allowing artists to make good money without selling out to big media companies.
This is a very subtle distinction. We should do all we can to help creators, not publishers. Publishers have their place in the distribution chain, but they should not be allowed to act as if they were the creators.
If the publisher's business model is failing, so be it. Publishers and gatekeepers are not worth saving. Creators are. Support creators. Buy CDs directly from the artists. Buy them through the shortest distribution chain possible (even if that might be Amazon or Apple).
Create laws that make copyright an unalienable right, thus forcing publishers back to the publishing business that is rightly theirs.