On the importance of Revolution
A number of years ago, a man named Steve Jobs introduced a device called an Ipod. This tiny little device wielded the power to bring the music industry to its knees.
Now, of course, it wasn't all Jobs. The rise of the internet had to do with it, as well as Napster, but that's not what we came her to talk about or to think about.
There was a time when albums were released as records. You had to buy all the songs (not always a bad thing) they were big and hard to store (who remembers plastic milk crates?) and they weren't portable.
The industry changed, tapes came out. Portability. Then cds, better quality.
Then Steve Jobs gave us the Ipod. Suddenly, quality and portability were better than ever. You didn't have to lug around twenty cds to listen to your music. Also, you didn't have to buy the whole album, just the songs you liked. You could create your own Frankenstein album and fill it with Van Halen, AC/DC, Green Day, Coldplay, whatever you wanted.
The music industry was not ready for this. Not by a long shot. Their first reaction was to try and fight back in some way. They way they had done business for so long was being destroyed. They were accustomed to making the rules, but the internet and the Ipod, put the power of rule-making into the hands of others.
A few artists fought bitterly against the change-mostly to their own destruction-but most of the smart artists and smart music executives decided to take this potential crisis and turn it into an opportunity.
They listened to the people. They changed the way they marketed bands and albums. They found a way to plug-in with the new market.
It's worked for them, the music industry is more successful now than it's ever been (with the possible exception of the late '50's and early '60's.)
Publishing was late to the digital game, but they are squarely in it now.
I was a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist when it came to physical books. I once thought that they'd have to pry them away from me. I thought I'd never go digital.
But I did.
Nor and I alone. Ereaders are making up an increasing market share of purchased books and that's only going to go up as the years progress. I don't believe physical books will ever truly die, but I think they'll get scarcer and scarcer.
It makes sense for publishing for the same reason it made sense for the music industry. Books are a lot more cumbersome to store and carry around with you than cds are. A tablet allows you to carry literally thousands of books with you everywhere you go. Storage isn't an issue. With the powerful back-light on the tablets, you can read them in bed without the lamp on. As a married man, I can tell you that's a huge selling point right there. Hard for the wife to get to sleep when you're nose is buried in the latest Stephen King and the lamp is on.
Most important of all is the price. Ebooks are loads cheaper than hardcover books, and most of them are cheaper than their paperback counterparts. They take up no, actual physical space and they don't use paper or cardboard or glue or ink. Their production cost is pretty much nil.
So how is the publishing industry reacting to this rise in online authorship? In much the same way the music industry reacted in the beginning of the digital music revolution. Because, this is the beginning for the publishing industry.
The game has started to change, but the rules aren't fully written yet. The changes are rapid and ever expanding. The advantages for the consumers are just too great to ignore. Digital publishing is already the wave of the future, soon it will dominate the market.
If the publishing industry is unwilling or unable to keep up with the changes, they will soon find themselves on the outside looking in.
Now, of course, it wasn't all Jobs. The rise of the internet had to do with it, as well as Napster, but that's not what we came her to talk about or to think about.
There was a time when albums were released as records. You had to buy all the songs (not always a bad thing) they were big and hard to store (who remembers plastic milk crates?) and they weren't portable.
The industry changed, tapes came out. Portability. Then cds, better quality.
Then Steve Jobs gave us the Ipod. Suddenly, quality and portability were better than ever. You didn't have to lug around twenty cds to listen to your music. Also, you didn't have to buy the whole album, just the songs you liked. You could create your own Frankenstein album and fill it with Van Halen, AC/DC, Green Day, Coldplay, whatever you wanted.
The music industry was not ready for this. Not by a long shot. Their first reaction was to try and fight back in some way. They way they had done business for so long was being destroyed. They were accustomed to making the rules, but the internet and the Ipod, put the power of rule-making into the hands of others.
A few artists fought bitterly against the change-mostly to their own destruction-but most of the smart artists and smart music executives decided to take this potential crisis and turn it into an opportunity.
They listened to the people. They changed the way they marketed bands and albums. They found a way to plug-in with the new market.
It's worked for them, the music industry is more successful now than it's ever been (with the possible exception of the late '50's and early '60's.)
Publishing was late to the digital game, but they are squarely in it now.
I was a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist when it came to physical books. I once thought that they'd have to pry them away from me. I thought I'd never go digital.
But I did.
Nor and I alone. Ereaders are making up an increasing market share of purchased books and that's only going to go up as the years progress. I don't believe physical books will ever truly die, but I think they'll get scarcer and scarcer.
It makes sense for publishing for the same reason it made sense for the music industry. Books are a lot more cumbersome to store and carry around with you than cds are. A tablet allows you to carry literally thousands of books with you everywhere you go. Storage isn't an issue. With the powerful back-light on the tablets, you can read them in bed without the lamp on. As a married man, I can tell you that's a huge selling point right there. Hard for the wife to get to sleep when you're nose is buried in the latest Stephen King and the lamp is on.
Most important of all is the price. Ebooks are loads cheaper than hardcover books, and most of them are cheaper than their paperback counterparts. They take up no, actual physical space and they don't use paper or cardboard or glue or ink. Their production cost is pretty much nil.
So how is the publishing industry reacting to this rise in online authorship? In much the same way the music industry reacted in the beginning of the digital music revolution. Because, this is the beginning for the publishing industry.
The game has started to change, but the rules aren't fully written yet. The changes are rapid and ever expanding. The advantages for the consumers are just too great to ignore. Digital publishing is already the wave of the future, soon it will dominate the market.
If the publishing industry is unwilling or unable to keep up with the changes, they will soon find themselves on the outside looking in.
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