The Value of Digital Products

Imagine going up to a surgeon and asking them to operate on you. Then tell them that you won't pay them, but don't worry, you'll tell all your friends about how well they performed, and that'll give them exposure, which is just as good as pay.

I have never met an artist or designer who does not have some story about a potential client requesting that the artist/designer produce art for free, or for "exposure". For some reason, digital products never seem to have the proper value that they deserve. People ask that these artists work for free, either because they don't have the money, or because the overall project is unique, or sometimes flat out tell the artist that their work isn't difficult and doesn't deserve proper payment.

Which, of course, is a ridiculous notion.

This problem is so widespread that there are countless websites and social media groups about clients who refuse to pay for work, there are even how-to articles on how an artist can handle a client who refuses to pay.

What is even worse is when a digital artist posts their own original content online to present to the world and others will take it and put it somewhere else without credit, or claim it as their own. Even if the content is actually marked to show the original owner, someone will crop or doctor out that mark so that the original owner cannot be found, except through maybe a reverse image search - if it's an image, of course. The seemingly favorite argument of these content thieves is "It's the internet, so everything is fair game."

Which, of course, is a ridiculous notion.

If during the Italian Renaissance, someone stole da Vinci's Mona Lisa and claimed it as their own, should that person be punished? What if I decided to use the entirety of Daft Punk's Discovery album as the soundtrack of a short film, and when accused of theft I responded with, "Well, it was on the internet, so it was fair game"?

Of course, this can be related to the whole "is piracy real theft" debate, and this sort of digital content theft is a part of piracy, but it is specifically the piracy of individual, independent creators. There isn't any metaphorical "man" to fight against, this is affecting a single person.

But, to the original point, something about art or design content that people just don't value as much as they would a physical product. Didn't the artist spend time to make the product? Didn't they likely spend tens of thousands of dollars on education to learn their trade? Why is a digital artist somehow worth less?