This week discussion flared up in various places about whether creative product should be seen as creative works (in the legal sence) and what consequences this may have for copyright protection and opportunities for innovative business models. 

TechDirt refers to an article by music writer Jeff MacDougall, who argues that music is not a product but an experience - and as such a service: 

"I'm tired of having the same conversation over and over again. The conversation about how we should go about dealing with "thieves" and "pirates" "stealing" our "product" like so many shoplifters. I'm just gonna say it. It's absurd. (…) Music is not, and never was, a product. I'm here to tell you that the emperor is naked, to ask -- no beg -- you to change how we view our work. To view our work, our music, for what it really is... an experience. Almost all experiences that we can and do pay for (an amusement park ride, a massage, etc.) are viewed as a service. We need to view our work in the same way."

Yesterday Minecraft creator Markus Persson told Dutch newspaper Telegraaf that we shouldn't see games as a product but as a service. That would give opportunity for much more innovation in business models, Persson said: 

"What publishers (...) can do best is to regularly release updates to their games. As with Rovio's Angry Birds new content for Minecraft appears constantly. Think of game development as a service. Make the shelve life of a game longer than one week. You simply can't copy an online game." 

So what do you think? Are music and games products or services?