Editor’s Note: Last Wednesday, Reddit cofounder Alexis Ohanian debated USC professor Jonathan Taplin, director of the USC Annenberg Innovation Lab and former tour manager of The Band. The topic: antipiracy, SOPA, and the current state of the entertainment industry. The debate, which you can watch here or in the videos below, became particularly heated over the idea of “free” music–a model that Taplin argues drove The Band’s Levon Helm into financial ruin.

Jonathan Taplin, right, with The Band in 1969.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Taplin

Immediately following the debate, Ohanian published an open letter to Taplin. Taplin’s rebuttal is below.

Please note that the debate took place before Thursday’s passing of Levon Helm, who became a symbol during the debate for the harsh realities of the music industry in the digital era, especially for aging stars. Helm was the subject of Ohanian’s subsequent letter to Taplin, also written before Helm’s death.

Dear Alexis,