The Associated Press is to create a news registry to protect their online content from copyright violations. The organization has already issued and then backed down on DMCA take down notices to bloggers who had linked to the AP, used their headlines or paraphrased AP stories.
AP’s proposed new registry, will attached AP content to a digital-permissions framework which will be actively monitored. Today each article and in the future, each picture and video, would have a digital “wrapper,” data invisible to the consumer. The software would also send signals back to AP, letting it track use of the article across the Web. Created and managed the Media Standards Trust, the new system allows the organization to gain proof of what it defines as violations in order to enforce its copyright policies.
Some see it as an attempt to lock up the news, others a rewriting of 'fair use' by the back door.
The New York Times reported Mr Curley, AP’s president and CEO, “If someone can build multibillion-dollar businesses out of keywords, we can build multihundred-million businesses out of headlines, and we’re going to do that,” The goal, he said, was not to have less use of the news articles, but to be paid for any use. Search engines and news aggregators contend that their brief article citations fall under the legal principle of fair use.
News aggregators like such as Google News have licensing agreements with AP for the use of its material but not for general Internet searches that turn up news articles. Is the right to link to articles using a brief snippet of extract from that article, or the original headline on the article now fair use or subject to payment to AP?
At a time when the Newspaper industry is clearly struggling this would appear a classic ‘finger in the Dyke’ and draconian approach. Read this interest article, 'NYT Co.’s top lawyer doubts that aggregation is a copyright issue' and discover some of the potential legal issues and a transcript of an interview with NYT’s legal council.
Update Comment received from Matthew Cain, Media Standards Trust
I saw your blogpost regarding AP's recent announcement and wanted to clarify a couple of things.
The AP news registry and tracking features were not "created and managed by the Media Standards Trust". Instead, the Media Standards Trust, working with Sir Tim Berners Lee's WSRI, have created an open source draft news microformat (road signs, if you will) for readers to identify the key attributes of a news article. Far from being invisible to readers, this appears as a box at the end of an article and helps the reader distinguish news from PR and identify things such as:
* who wrote the story
* the location of the story
* any principles under which it was written
More information is available here: www.valueaddednews.org
AP have developed additional set of features which helps them monitor and track articles. The Media Standards Trust has no involvement with this.
I would be grateful if you could amend your post accordingly.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
That Was The Month That Was
July is proving an interesting month for the UK broadcasting and video market as companies change hands , focus and new enterants start to emerge.
First we saw the change of focus of Joost, which started with a fanfare , significant backing and support. Having been the driving force behind the groundbreaking Skype and Kazaa services, it looked like Joost’s founders could do nothing wrong. Alas reputation doesn’t guarantee success and this month Joost announced a reinvention refocus dropping its consumer video focus and reinvent itself as a business to business web-TV platform provider. The company had found it increasingly hard to stay afloat as a consumer-focussed independent ad-supported online video service.
Joost biggest problem was content, or the lack of great content and its model by the time it woke up.
to stream the video through web browsers it was too late as users had already gone elsewhere. Whether it will survive as a ‘white label’ service provider remains in question.
Project Kanageroo, a collaboration between BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 which was thwarted by the Competition Commission earlier this year and now has been acquired by Arqiva, which owns and operates part of the UK's terrestrial TV infrastructure and is a spectrum licence holder.
Argiva aims to use the technology to launch a new video-on-demand service with content likely to come from a range of content providers including the three broadcasters involved in the original joint venture.
Meanwhile Argiva face stiff competition from Hulu who continue to have discussions with UK broadcasters including ITV and Channel 4 and plans to launch in the UK later this year. Their offer is likely to include a significant amount of US content and would provide a one-stop shop for video on demand content.
The BBC's director general has suggested other broadcasters could share its iPlayer VOD service, which allows viewers to watch BBC shows online at a time of their choosing.
The BBC has revealed more detailed plans for, Canvas, its proposed joint venture with ITV and BT. It is now clear that what is envisaged is a platform and it intends to work with industry bodies such as the Digital Television Group, the European Broadcasting Union and the
Open IPTV Forum in defining appropriate standards. It is envisaged that Canvas will support a wide range of revenue options, including targeted advertising, micropayments and subscription and how these will be supported, including the approach to conditional access, digital rights management and billing.
The idea of a ‘box’ that combines broadcast and broadband delivered programmes with an intuitive interface is attractive to consumers. However, although the BBC has a role to play in establishing technical transmission standards, do they have the same role in designing the user experience of the box.
We envisage many more moves emerging, but the real test and answer lies in what the consumers decide to back.
First we saw the change of focus of Joost, which started with a fanfare , significant backing and support. Having been the driving force behind the groundbreaking Skype and Kazaa services, it looked like Joost’s founders could do nothing wrong. Alas reputation doesn’t guarantee success and this month Joost announced a reinvention refocus dropping its consumer video focus and reinvent itself as a business to business web-TV platform provider. The company had found it increasingly hard to stay afloat as a consumer-focussed independent ad-supported online video service.
Joost biggest problem was content, or the lack of great content and its model by the time it woke up.
to stream the video through web browsers it was too late as users had already gone elsewhere. Whether it will survive as a ‘white label’ service provider remains in question.
Project Kanageroo, a collaboration between BBC Worldwide, ITV and Channel 4 which was thwarted by the Competition Commission earlier this year and now has been acquired by Arqiva, which owns and operates part of the UK's terrestrial TV infrastructure and is a spectrum licence holder.
Argiva aims to use the technology to launch a new video-on-demand service with content likely to come from a range of content providers including the three broadcasters involved in the original joint venture.
Meanwhile Argiva face stiff competition from Hulu who continue to have discussions with UK broadcasters including ITV and Channel 4 and plans to launch in the UK later this year. Their offer is likely to include a significant amount of US content and would provide a one-stop shop for video on demand content.
The BBC's director general has suggested other broadcasters could share its iPlayer VOD service, which allows viewers to watch BBC shows online at a time of their choosing.
The BBC has revealed more detailed plans for, Canvas, its proposed joint venture with ITV and BT. It is now clear that what is envisaged is a platform and it intends to work with industry bodies such as the Digital Television Group, the European Broadcasting Union and the
Open IPTV Forum in defining appropriate standards. It is envisaged that Canvas will support a wide range of revenue options, including targeted advertising, micropayments and subscription and how these will be supported, including the approach to conditional access, digital rights management and billing.
The idea of a ‘box’ that combines broadcast and broadband delivered programmes with an intuitive interface is attractive to consumers. However, although the BBC has a role to play in establishing technical transmission standards, do they have the same role in designing the user experience of the box.
We envisage many more moves emerging, but the real test and answer lies in what the consumers decide to back.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Vonnegut Goes eBook
Last week Random House announced that its imprint, Delacorte Press, would release 14 previously unpublished short stories by Kurt Vonnegut. Vonnegut who was best known for his satire, humour, anti-war sentiment and science fiction writing, died in 2007.
However its not the posthumous collection that is the news but that they will be made available as ebooks. The first story, “Hello Red,” would be available as an e-book in August followed the next month by a second, “The Petrified Ants.” The remainder will be available on Oct. 20, the day Delacorte publishes “Look at the Birdie,” a new hardcover collection of Vonnegut’s short fiction. Delacorte also has plans to release new additions of fifteen of Vonnegut’s best known books.
The e-books will be sold for $1.99, but is unclear as to whether this signals the return of the short story for the ebook, which makes a lot of sense, or whether in this case they are being used as promotional tasters for the physical book. It is also not clear whether by buying the ebooks the price paid is deducted from the book when its published.
Apparently Mr. Vonnegut is claimed to have told an interviewer in 1995 that he would “welcome” being called a Luddite.
Why can’t the short story stand in its own right as an ebook. We have long argued that the form lends itself to digital reading. Whether, its short stories, selling by chapters or selling individual works such as poems, digital should stand in its own right. Yet it appears some now see ebooks not as works in their own right, but as promotional teasers and that publishers still cling to the physical economic model.
Kangaroo or Karoo Court?
Karoo has a unique service position as an Internet service provider (ISP) in Hull. It is the only ISP in the area, which has no BT lines and has long adopted a policy of automatically suspending service of suspected file-sharers. In order to get their service restored, customers had to sign a document accepting that they were guilty and promising not to repeat the offence.
It appears that following a BBC report outlining the firm's practice. Karoo now issued a statement saying that it has been "exceeding the expectations of copyright owners". Karoo will now adopt a "three strikes" rule, in which suspected file-sharers will receive three written warnings before action is taken.
Andrea Robinson, a Karoo customer from Willerby, told the BBC that a day after her service was cut off, she received a letter from the firm claiming that she had been using the peer-to-peer file-sharing service BitTorrent to download the film Terminator Salvation. She was told to attend the company's offices to resolve the issue.
"They gave me a form to sign to get reconnected," she told the BBC. "The form basically said 'if I admit my guilt you'll reconnect me'. So I didn't sign it and walked out."
The practice follows the Amazon Kindle debacle which lead to a personal apology from Jeff Bezos and a change of policy at Amazon. The current approaches is like chasing the drug takers whilst the dealers stand on the street corners dispensing the wares. Karoo appear to have ‘exceeded everyone’s expectation’. Some may wonder if Karoo is short for Kangeroo which appears to be their type of court justice
It appears that following a BBC report outlining the firm's practice. Karoo now issued a statement saying that it has been "exceeding the expectations of copyright owners". Karoo will now adopt a "three strikes" rule, in which suspected file-sharers will receive three written warnings before action is taken.
Andrea Robinson, a Karoo customer from Willerby, told the BBC that a day after her service was cut off, she received a letter from the firm claiming that she had been using the peer-to-peer file-sharing service BitTorrent to download the film Terminator Salvation. She was told to attend the company's offices to resolve the issue.
"They gave me a form to sign to get reconnected," she told the BBC. "The form basically said 'if I admit my guilt you'll reconnect me'. So I didn't sign it and walked out."
The practice follows the Amazon Kindle debacle which lead to a personal apology from Jeff Bezos and a change of policy at Amazon. The current approaches is like chasing the drug takers whilst the dealers stand on the street corners dispensing the wares. Karoo appear to have ‘exceeded everyone’s expectation’. Some may wonder if Karoo is short for Kangeroo which appears to be their type of court justice
Palm Continues to Taunt Apple
Palm has taken a decision to re-syncing its Pre Web OS to iTunes. This follows iTunes issuing an update to block their previous hook up.
The question now is whether this latest twist will end up in court? On June 16, Apple issued an iTunes support document that said it does "not provide support" for non-Apple hardware that attempts to use iTunes for synchronizing content from a Mac or Windows PC. Palm’s openness would suggest that they are taunting Apple and expecting a reaction. If Apple were to turn the other cheek then it may be an open invitation for others to follow and could undermine iTune dominance in the market. Others see it as strengthening iTunes in the same way that the adoption of MP3 made it more attractive to a wider audience.
However there is another viewpoint that Apple is open to the Palm approach in that Palm hasn't done anything to Apple's software, only its own Web OS software and therefore there is little that they can do legally. Palm has not violated Apple’s software so has not infringed any copyright.
Until there is clarity, or the Apple engineers devise code that prohibits Palm, it would appear that Palm wish to continue to synch to iTunes software and taunt Apple.
The question now is whether this latest twist will end up in court? On June 16, Apple issued an iTunes support document that said it does "not provide support" for non-Apple hardware that attempts to use iTunes for synchronizing content from a Mac or Windows PC. Palm’s openness would suggest that they are taunting Apple and expecting a reaction. If Apple were to turn the other cheek then it may be an open invitation for others to follow and could undermine iTune dominance in the market. Others see it as strengthening iTunes in the same way that the adoption of MP3 made it more attractive to a wider audience.
However there is another viewpoint that Apple is open to the Palm approach in that Palm hasn't done anything to Apple's software, only its own Web OS software and therefore there is little that they can do legally. Palm has not violated Apple’s software so has not infringed any copyright.
Until there is clarity, or the Apple engineers devise code that prohibits Palm, it would appear that Palm wish to continue to synch to iTunes software and taunt Apple.
Friday, July 24, 2009
A Wireless Power Fix
We all forget the power transformer and often the transformer is the lump we hate to carry everywhere with us. So is the solution close at hand? This BBC video describes and interesting development that may just signal the end of wires and the beginning of true 'wireless'.
It leaves many questions unanswered re who will pay for the charge but it is worth a note.
It leaves many questions unanswered re who will pay for the charge but it is worth a note.
Bezos Says Sorry
Remember when Gerald Ratner was forced to apologise publiclly for his statement on selling 'crap' and the lack of apologise we all recieved from the city bankers for their gross incompetence? Apologise are often hard, especially in public, so we take our hats off to Jeff Bezos for the following statement he issued on Kindle Community web site. We hope he doesn't loose his head over it like Gerald Ratner did.
This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our "solution" to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we've received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.
With deep apology to our customers,
Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com
This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our "solution" to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we've received. We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.
With deep apology to our customers,
Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Samsung Enter the Smartwatch Market
Mr Bond is that a phone, a computer or just a watch on your wrist?
We wanted the LG GD910watch phone but the price was too high even for a vanity piece of jewellery and now Samsung in releasing one the S9110 and plans to bring it to Europe. The 450 euro smartwatch will be launched in France with a 4.5cm touchscreen, metal body and leather strap.
At just 11.98mm thick it's described as the world's thinnest smartwatch with Outlook e-mail, voice calls, MP3 player, and Bluetooth to support that earpiece it sounds impressive and is under half the price of the LG GD910 offered by Orange.
On Target
What makes a best seller? Is it stacking it high on sale or return in bookstores, is it a good review in the best newspaper or the kiss of Oprah, is it the right price offer? All these help and marketing sells books, but often the focus is still on that 13 week window and then it moves onto the next bestseller. Does the consumer know what is front list and in many cases do they care?Michael Cader introduced us to a New York Times report on, ‘Target Can Make Sleepy Titles Into Best Sellers’ which was about how outlets such as Target can make significant sales on what would appear to be failures. By selecting a title as one of its Bookmarked Club Picks, the book gets prominent display throughout the chain’s stores and sales follow. Players such as Target can also benefit under the special sales umbrella, buy into print runs, take a minimised risk and enjoy a calculated return.
Target, Wal-Mart and Costco have a proven ability to sell significant quantities of books and often trade on high profile titles such as Harry Potter. However, Target has been quietly building its book club, a program it calls Bookmarked Breakout, and promoting and selling largely unknown writers. Target’s 1,700 stores carries about 2,500 titles each, are of a predictable range of genre and interestingly are faced out (so much for publisher brand). The book club promotions are house are set apart often at those important end of aisles.
In some cases Target sales outstrip any other outlet and Jacqueline Updike, director of adult sales at Random House says, ‘Target can sell hundreds of thousands of copies of a book that is virtually unknown in the rest of the marketplace.”
Target select and sell like a bookseller should using a panel of Target employees who meet monthly to review submissions from publishers. The panel may select classics, unknown authors or bestsellers and the publisher is asked to produce a special edition, and the author requested to write a letter addressed to Target readers.
We often deride the large mass market retailers but we forget that the reason they are where they are is that they understand retail; selection, marketing and selling.
The Price Is Right
We walked around Adsa (WalMart UK) this week. Denim jeans £3 and designer denims for £14, hardback and paper books, that are both current and fighting for sales in every other bookstore offered at 50% off. We can now buy most popular CDs between £5 and £8 and yet we still refer to this as ‘rip off Britian’.
The reality is that players such as the supermarkets have driven out production and supply chain waste and moved from production based, to market and demand driven costing. The physical manufacturing, distribution and replenishment processes have been squeezed and yesterday’s prices now look a total rip off.
Amazon and the chains have broken the price of books as it relates to the list price, but not necessarily as it relates to cost. Book prices have dropped but jacket prices have often increased to compensate.
Enter the ebook. We have written many times on the issue of pricing ebooks and the price alignment with other formats. The reality is that in a demand and market driven environment and especially one where one digital book looks the same as any other, a price point will happen. Music, DVD and other media markets may have their anomalies, but in the main, price points still prevail irrespective of the production cost.
So when Sourcebooks recently decided to withhold the release of the ebook, so it didn’t impact the hardback sales, we ask once again – is it wise.com?
Amazon is creating an eBook price point of $9.99 that, irrespective of your position, is likely to stick. Ask Apple about iTunes and their infamous $0.99 price point. The challenge is not how to continue to confuse consumers and fight price points but how the market can make such a move work and still reward the author.
When we look at some of the significant business model changes that are happening today, we realize that we must be flexible and even prepared to burn the model altogether. For example, look at Spotify music streaming service, which still pays royalties but is ‘free’ at consumption. Look at how network carriers have created bundles of services and in doing so have effectively cut the cost to their customers.
We still have not found the answer to the potential digital rent for free from a library versus digital pay to buy retail models.
The one person we must continue to reward is the creator. Interestingly there appears little reason why they can’t be paid more frequently, if not in real time for their digital sales.
The reality is that players such as the supermarkets have driven out production and supply chain waste and moved from production based, to market and demand driven costing. The physical manufacturing, distribution and replenishment processes have been squeezed and yesterday’s prices now look a total rip off.
Amazon and the chains have broken the price of books as it relates to the list price, but not necessarily as it relates to cost. Book prices have dropped but jacket prices have often increased to compensate.
Enter the ebook. We have written many times on the issue of pricing ebooks and the price alignment with other formats. The reality is that in a demand and market driven environment and especially one where one digital book looks the same as any other, a price point will happen. Music, DVD and other media markets may have their anomalies, but in the main, price points still prevail irrespective of the production cost.
So when Sourcebooks recently decided to withhold the release of the ebook, so it didn’t impact the hardback sales, we ask once again – is it wise.com?
Amazon is creating an eBook price point of $9.99 that, irrespective of your position, is likely to stick. Ask Apple about iTunes and their infamous $0.99 price point. The challenge is not how to continue to confuse consumers and fight price points but how the market can make such a move work and still reward the author.
When we look at some of the significant business model changes that are happening today, we realize that we must be flexible and even prepared to burn the model altogether. For example, look at Spotify music streaming service, which still pays royalties but is ‘free’ at consumption. Look at how network carriers have created bundles of services and in doing so have effectively cut the cost to their customers.
We still have not found the answer to the potential digital rent for free from a library versus digital pay to buy retail models.
The one person we must continue to reward is the creator. Interestingly there appears little reason why they can’t be paid more frequently, if not in real time for their digital sales.
Retailers Are Stepping Up to the Digital World
The news that Barnes & Noble is back in the digital ebook business is no great shock, nor one that is likely to be a repeat of its last entry and exit. Our ‘Brave New World’ report clearly put down the case for retailers to play a major roll in ebooks and digital sales and today, 3 years on, the shoots of our findings are starting to be seen. In the UK Waterstones went with an exclusive Sony deal and have now been joined by more open offers from Borders UK and Blackwell and will soon be joined by many others. In Australia Dymocks have long championed their offer. So the return of B&N is both welcome and a sensible move.
We can ignore the public posturing of ‘my repository is bigger than yours’ this is just mere schoolyard bragging that when stripped down soon becomes irrelevant. However, we can’t ignore the acquisition of Fictionwise, nor the market strength and brand that Barnes and Noble now reintroduces to the market. Will the offer dethrone Amazon – unlikely? Will it increase the battles over ebook pricing – almost certainly? Will it make more publishers create ebooks – almost certainly? Will the impact be restricted to the US – no?
What is certain is that consumers will want choice of what the buy and where they buy it. With offers from Barnes and Noble, Borders and Amazon will US consumers seriously select a device that restricts choice and one which shot itself in the foot last week with its Orwellian actions? Do publishers really believe that they can make the step change from producer to retailer and offer both range and depth? Some will succeed but many will realise what their core strengths are and that retail may not be one of them.
What is clear is that ebooks will go global and geographic restrictions on devices, their support or exclusive deals are not the way forward. It is perfectly feasible today for all retailers to participate and to sell physical alongside digital. The more retailers that take up the challenge, the healthier and more diverse the market and the offer will be. Retailers do not need a reader device or to buy a Fictionwise, or to strike up an exclusive deal, or even to set up a complex technical infrastructure, they just need to offer the consumer what they want , at the right time and at the right price – no different than today. They need to have one that offers physical and digital side by side in a single basket, one that is technologically inclusive not exclusive, one that fully exploits digital marketing and promotion and many will be surprise to find a more level playing field than they think.
We can ignore the public posturing of ‘my repository is bigger than yours’ this is just mere schoolyard bragging that when stripped down soon becomes irrelevant. However, we can’t ignore the acquisition of Fictionwise, nor the market strength and brand that Barnes and Noble now reintroduces to the market. Will the offer dethrone Amazon – unlikely? Will it increase the battles over ebook pricing – almost certainly? Will it make more publishers create ebooks – almost certainly? Will the impact be restricted to the US – no?
What is certain is that consumers will want choice of what the buy and where they buy it. With offers from Barnes and Noble, Borders and Amazon will US consumers seriously select a device that restricts choice and one which shot itself in the foot last week with its Orwellian actions? Do publishers really believe that they can make the step change from producer to retailer and offer both range and depth? Some will succeed but many will realise what their core strengths are and that retail may not be one of them.
What is clear is that ebooks will go global and geographic restrictions on devices, their support or exclusive deals are not the way forward. It is perfectly feasible today for all retailers to participate and to sell physical alongside digital. The more retailers that take up the challenge, the healthier and more diverse the market and the offer will be. Retailers do not need a reader device or to buy a Fictionwise, or to strike up an exclusive deal, or even to set up a complex technical infrastructure, they just need to offer the consumer what they want , at the right time and at the right price – no different than today. They need to have one that offers physical and digital side by side in a single basket, one that is technologically inclusive not exclusive, one that fully exploits digital marketing and promotion and many will be surprise to find a more level playing field than they think.
Spotify Continues to Break New Ground
The music streaming sector is just about to become significantly move interesting. We have long supported the Spotifty service which in our opinion is one of the music models for the future and makes consumer and business sense. Spotify has just announced a deal with IODA (Independent Online Distribution Alliance) which will add a further 2 million tracks to its catalogue. We are also aware that it has plans to launch in the IUS later this year and there are rumours of an iPhone app.
However, we now await the heavily rumoured Microsoft offer, (they always appear to be late to most parties today). We believe the Microsoft entry will have a significant impact in raising the profile of streaming services, add competition if integrated with its other offers, could pose a threat to Spotify whose stellar growth has been largely built on word of mouth. The US may prove a major battleground.
The other interesting aspect of Spotify’s latest deal is that it will not only bring in independent labels and artists such as The Prodigy, Bob Marley and the Wailers , but also Stephen Fry’s witterings. This in turn starts to question why not audiobooks ? The question is whether a streaming service should be restricted to one genre, media format or whether it should be open to all. The obvious line in the sand today is audio versus visual, but is that a real line tomorrow? When video can easily accommodate audio, should audio restrict itself and in doing so leave itself exposed?
If we were audiobook publishers we may well be tempted to start to think hard about Spotify. Forget trying to imitate and copy it or looking for a specific audiobook service. This approach is too narrow and often tied to day’s model, but look instead at making a step change that is clearly making sense to others. What will it mean to audio rights, royalties, earnings – we don’t know today, but that is no excuse to ignore it.
However, we now await the heavily rumoured Microsoft offer, (they always appear to be late to most parties today). We believe the Microsoft entry will have a significant impact in raising the profile of streaming services, add competition if integrated with its other offers, could pose a threat to Spotify whose stellar growth has been largely built on word of mouth. The US may prove a major battleground.
The other interesting aspect of Spotify’s latest deal is that it will not only bring in independent labels and artists such as The Prodigy, Bob Marley and the Wailers , but also Stephen Fry’s witterings. This in turn starts to question why not audiobooks ? The question is whether a streaming service should be restricted to one genre, media format or whether it should be open to all. The obvious line in the sand today is audio versus visual, but is that a real line tomorrow? When video can easily accommodate audio, should audio restrict itself and in doing so leave itself exposed?
If we were audiobook publishers we may well be tempted to start to think hard about Spotify. Forget trying to imitate and copy it or looking for a specific audiobook service. This approach is too narrow and often tied to day’s model, but look instead at making a step change that is clearly making sense to others. What will it mean to audio rights, royalties, earnings – we don’t know today, but that is no excuse to ignore it.
The Apple Tree Continues to Blossom
The one thing to watch in difficult times is who is making the money and how they are achieving it. When times become easier it is often they who can put their foot down and drive the sectors and the economy.
Apple have announced that in its 3rd fiscal 2009 quarter, which ended on June 30th, the company's year-on-year quarterly revenue rose to $8.34bn together with its net quarterly profit which rose to $1.23bn. The revenue results are up from $7.46bn and $1.07bn in the same quarter last year and profits are up around 15%. What is interesting is that the last quarter profits saw a year on year rise of the same amount.
Apple saw a 4% year on year quarter increase of Mac sales and even though their new 3GS model didn’t launch until the end of the quarter and moved 1 million units in the first weekend, they sold 5.2 million iPhones during the period.
Apple have announced that in its 3rd fiscal 2009 quarter, which ended on June 30th, the company's year-on-year quarterly revenue rose to $8.34bn together with its net quarterly profit which rose to $1.23bn. The revenue results are up from $7.46bn and $1.07bn in the same quarter last year and profits are up around 15%. What is interesting is that the last quarter profits saw a year on year rise of the same amount.
Apple saw a 4% year on year quarter increase of Mac sales and even though their new 3GS model didn’t launch until the end of the quarter and moved 1 million units in the first weekend, they sold 5.2 million iPhones during the period.
There's Money In Those Old Books
The University of Michigan has announced a collaboration with Booksurge, Amazon’s print on demand service. As a result Booksurge will offer reprints of some 400,000 rare, out-of-print and out-of-copyright books from its library in soft cover editions at prices from $10 to $45.
The books are in more than 200 languages from Acoli to Zulu and include a 1898 book on nursing by Florence Nightingale, "Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is not." Some of the books are one of kind, meaning they had been available only from the shelves of the University of Michigan.
The move is now possible because of the university's project to digitize its collection in partnership with Google and the as books in the Michigan-Amazon deal are in the public domain, the revenues generated will be split between Booksurge and the University.
The arrangement is a significant addition to BookSurge's inventory and it will be interesting to watch if others follow and whether the arrangements will be exclusive or open. The other question is how Google will respond as the move could be seen as cutting off what many thought was an obvious revenue stream .
Today the deal involves public domain works and as we wrote earlier this week with respect to the dispute between Wikipedia and The National Portrait Gallery in the UK making – he who owns the public domain rendition and digitalises it can now earn from it.
University of Michigan libraries Dean Paul Courant said the arrangement means "books unavailable for a century or more will be able to go back into print, one copy at a time." Albeit at a new price.
The books are in more than 200 languages from Acoli to Zulu and include a 1898 book on nursing by Florence Nightingale, "Notes on Nursing: What it is and What it is not." Some of the books are one of kind, meaning they had been available only from the shelves of the University of Michigan.
The move is now possible because of the university's project to digitize its collection in partnership with Google and the as books in the Michigan-Amazon deal are in the public domain, the revenues generated will be split between Booksurge and the University.
The arrangement is a significant addition to BookSurge's inventory and it will be interesting to watch if others follow and whether the arrangements will be exclusive or open. The other question is how Google will respond as the move could be seen as cutting off what many thought was an obvious revenue stream .
Today the deal involves public domain works and as we wrote earlier this week with respect to the dispute between Wikipedia and The National Portrait Gallery in the UK making – he who owns the public domain rendition and digitalises it can now earn from it.
University of Michigan libraries Dean Paul Courant said the arrangement means "books unavailable for a century or more will be able to go back into print, one copy at a time." Albeit at a new price.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Google Charm Offensive Moves to Europe
European Union regulators are looking to mediate a discussion between European publishers and authors and Google over Google’s Book Settlement. European Commission officials will meet with copyright holders on September 7 to discuss the search giant's $125 million proposed settlement with U.S. publishers and authors. The US court will decide in October, whether to grant what some believe will be a monopoly on ‘orphan works’ and effectively change copyright not only in the US but globally. Google is currently on a charm offensive trying to persuade all plus the US Department of Justice that they are really the grandmother and not merely a wolf in her clothing.
The one thing that is certain is that the charm offensive will incease as the decision date draws closer but the question and doubts remain on the table. Some would say that fear of the alternative is driving some to support what many have exposed as wanting. It will be interesting to see which associations stand up to question the settlement and who finds themselves sitting on a fence torn between conflicts in their member interests.
The one thing that is certain is that the charm offensive will incease as the decision date draws closer but the question and doubts remain on the table. Some would say that fear of the alternative is driving some to support what many have exposed as wanting. It will be interesting to see which associations stand up to question the settlement and who finds themselves sitting on a fence torn between conflicts in their member interests.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Polymer Vision RIP?
Polymer Vision, which developed the roll out, Readuis eInk device, has entered chapter 11. The company had previously said it was looking for investment, but it appears along with a European launch, it never materialised. The 5-inch display may have impressed some but it fell down that crack of not knowing what it wanted to be when it grew up. In a crowded market that is getting more crowded by the day the question now is whether others are vulnerable and likely to follow before the market grows?
Some may look to the Polymer Vision technology and see a fire sale opportunity, others just another ‘lookie likie’ albeit with a roll out difference.Unless the technology is significantly different and the hype compelling, it is difficult to see the current playing field changing.
Apps Stores: Fad or the Future?
Last week Apple’s app store reached another milestone with 1.5 billion downloads and now supports over 65,000 applications.
So on the same day that O2 launches a £10,000 prize for the best iPhone application voted by its iPhone members, Google believe the app store days are numbered and others say that the app craze is going to just go on getting bigger. Who is right and who is wrong? What are the issues driving this demand and is it a fad or the start of something big?
In a drive to incentivise and reward developers and grow customer loyalty O2 has launched a two month, £10,000 prize competition to select the best iPhone app. The key criteria for the winner will be an app that can ‘help build a lasting relationship between O2 and its iPhone customers.’
Ilja Laurs, CEO of GetJar, a leading independent application predicts that there will be a peak of around 100,000 apps by the end of the year, but with a failure rate of some 90%, he questions whether the lack of revenue will force a rethinking of the current development environment. Will consumers pay and play once, or adopt the apps into their lifestyle? Are apps essential tools and fulfilling real demand, or mere novelty and fashion fads
Symbian’s Lee Williams believes that the app store model is flawed in that it offers too much unwanted stuff and not enough relevant content and applications that will help enrich or add value to a user’s life.
Vic Gundotra, Google's engineering VP believes the app store is a fad and that the focus will shift to powerful browsers. Obviously Google is investing heavily in the Chrome browser, the Android operating system and search, all of which they see as platform and device independent. Therefore it makes sense for them to dismiss apps as a fad.
The question today appears to be one of mobile bandwidth and the lack of interoperability of applications, making development a nightmare and consumer choice complex. Tomorrow the game would appear to be moving towards one app across multiple platforms, devices, carriers, but this requires that all so elusive collaborative thinking and approach that is often lost in today’s ‘exclusive’ world.
What is clear is that app development is a gambling business today and one many will loose their shirt on and one that a few will find very rewarding.
So on the same day that O2 launches a £10,000 prize for the best iPhone application voted by its iPhone members, Google believe the app store days are numbered and others say that the app craze is going to just go on getting bigger. Who is right and who is wrong? What are the issues driving this demand and is it a fad or the start of something big?
In a drive to incentivise and reward developers and grow customer loyalty O2 has launched a two month, £10,000 prize competition to select the best iPhone app. The key criteria for the winner will be an app that can ‘help build a lasting relationship between O2 and its iPhone customers.’
Ilja Laurs, CEO of GetJar, a leading independent application predicts that there will be a peak of around 100,000 apps by the end of the year, but with a failure rate of some 90%, he questions whether the lack of revenue will force a rethinking of the current development environment. Will consumers pay and play once, or adopt the apps into their lifestyle? Are apps essential tools and fulfilling real demand, or mere novelty and fashion fads
Symbian’s Lee Williams believes that the app store model is flawed in that it offers too much unwanted stuff and not enough relevant content and applications that will help enrich or add value to a user’s life.
Vic Gundotra, Google's engineering VP believes the app store is a fad and that the focus will shift to powerful browsers. Obviously Google is investing heavily in the Chrome browser, the Android operating system and search, all of which they see as platform and device independent. Therefore it makes sense for them to dismiss apps as a fad.
The question today appears to be one of mobile bandwidth and the lack of interoperability of applications, making development a nightmare and consumer choice complex. Tomorrow the game would appear to be moving towards one app across multiple platforms, devices, carriers, but this requires that all so elusive collaborative thinking and approach that is often lost in today’s ‘exclusive’ world.
What is clear is that app development is a gambling business today and one many will loose their shirt on and one that a few will find very rewarding.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Apple To Let Other Operators Carry the iPhone?
According to Mobile Today, Orange and T-Mobile will be allowed to sell iPhones in the UK in six weeks' time when O2's two-year deal comes to an end. However, before everyone jumps up for joy, O2 will be given exclusive rights to sell the faster iPhone 3GS model. The Palm Pre currently is restricted to O2 under another exclusive deal.
Is it just another Apple rumour. or are we finally going to see the iPhone unlocked just in time for Christmas. Forget the Kindle coming to the UK, the unlocking of the exclusive with O2 may be a far bigger generator of revenue as many may upgrade and stay with their current carrier and the device offers far more for all.
The move will also push the Apple app store, iTunes and of course the resultant bandwidth usage. The other mobile manufacturers have so far failed to dent Apple’s iconic ‘must have’ status and opening up the iPhone is just as much about the pull of the app store as much as the device itself.
Apple now must open its offer up to more. We see its biggest competitive threat being that other new player on the block, Google and their Android offer and we all know that they will play with anyone and everyone.
Is it just another Apple rumour. or are we finally going to see the iPhone unlocked just in time for Christmas. Forget the Kindle coming to the UK, the unlocking of the exclusive with O2 may be a far bigger generator of revenue as many may upgrade and stay with their current carrier and the device offers far more for all.
The move will also push the Apple app store, iTunes and of course the resultant bandwidth usage. The other mobile manufacturers have so far failed to dent Apple’s iconic ‘must have’ status and opening up the iPhone is just as much about the pull of the app store as much as the device itself.
Apple now must open its offer up to more. We see its biggest competitive threat being that other new player on the block, Google and their Android offer and we all know that they will play with anyone and everyone.
Wikipedia and the NPG Fall Out Over Copyright
You can pay to view a picture in a gallery, but even though it was painted centuries ago they are not public domain once the image is digitised. Some say that owners of out of copyright material are not going to digitised works if the derivative works they create aren’t protected and as a result everyone will be the poorer. Others would argue that they are public domain and should be free to all.Wikipedia has caused a storm in using images from the UK’s National Portrait Gallery (NPG). They say the gallery is betraying its public service mission, the gallery says it needs to recoup the £1m cost of its digitisation programme. The gallery appears to be objecting more to the use of high resolution images which they can earn off. The NPG says that their images in books and magazines generated £339,000 in the last year and that the current situation jeopardises their ability to internally fund their digitisation process.
Other institutions have made significant donations to the non-for–profit encyclopaedia but the NPG wants money and insists that its case has been misrepresented, and deny that it has been "locking up and limiting access to educational materials".
So when is the digitisation of public material ‘private’ and for sale only, and when is it ‘free’? The NPG claim that Wikipedia infringed English copyright laws, which protect copies of original works even when they themselves are out of copyright. They also claim that special software was used to "de-scramble" the high-resolution tiles, allowing the whole portrait to be seen in high resolution.
It’s another case of he who pays to digitise, regenerates copyright on the derivative work and in this case there is only one copy to digitise, so ownership also counts. We wonder why Wikipedia needed high resolution for online use and guess we will all continue to enjoy the real thing in galleries.
Two Weeks and Two New eBook Readers
We returned from two weeks vacation but while we were away the world of ebooks didn’t take time off and two new devices were spawned in our absence.
WeFound
The market for ebook readers is growing all the time and we have often referred to the many eInk ebook devices as, ‘lookie likies’, but now they really are! Whose has copied who, the Chinese appear to have copied Amazon, who else? The Chinese Founder Group has announced its $200 Kindle ‘lookie likie’ aimed at the Japanese and Chinese market at this month’s Tokyo’s Digital Publishing Fair.
Founder’s e-reader is called the ‘weFound’ and looks like the Kindle 2 with a 6-inch e-ink display. It doesn’t have a Whispernet wireless connection and uses a SIM card to directly downloaded books onto the device. This means that unlike its original brother, the new pretender’s internal modem doesn’t restrict downloads to a single network. The other obvious difference is that it displays double-byte characters which are essential for supporting Japanese, Chinese and Korean characters.
Founder has stated that the ‘lookie likie’ will be commercially available at the end of the year in China.
JetBook
However they are not the only new boys in town and the Ectaco JetBook has also arrived to the party. However, there is a real difference here in that the Jet Book does not the use eink or a back lit screen but a LCD screen. The Jetbook also doesn’t have a touch screen function and uses numerical buttons along the right side of the reader and directional and page turn buttons located under the screen to navigate.
The JetBook comes with the usual bundle of free books pre installed but has one huge disadvantage in that it doesn’t support DRM files. So you may get the King James Bible and the Fodors Travel Guides and loads of classics but will miss out on many best-sellers. Not a wise move today. It can play MP3 files but only supports a 2MB SD card so again not a wise move.
WeFound
The market for ebook readers is growing all the time and we have often referred to the many eInk ebook devices as, ‘lookie likies’, but now they really are! Whose has copied who, the Chinese appear to have copied Amazon, who else? The Chinese Founder Group has announced its $200 Kindle ‘lookie likie’ aimed at the Japanese and Chinese market at this month’s Tokyo’s Digital Publishing Fair.Founder’s e-reader is called the ‘weFound’ and looks like the Kindle 2 with a 6-inch e-ink display. It doesn’t have a Whispernet wireless connection and uses a SIM card to directly downloaded books onto the device. This means that unlike its original brother, the new pretender’s internal modem doesn’t restrict downloads to a single network. The other obvious difference is that it displays double-byte characters which are essential for supporting Japanese, Chinese and Korean characters.
Founder has stated that the ‘lookie likie’ will be commercially available at the end of the year in China.
JetBook
However they are not the only new boys in town and the Ectaco JetBook has also arrived to the party. However, there is a real difference here in that the Jet Book does not the use eink or a back lit screen but a LCD screen. The Jetbook also doesn’t have a touch screen function and uses numerical buttons along the right side of the reader and directional and page turn buttons located under the screen to navigate.The JetBook comes with the usual bundle of free books pre installed but has one huge disadvantage in that it doesn’t support DRM files. So you may get the King James Bible and the Fodors Travel Guides and loads of classics but will miss out on many best-sellers. Not a wise move today. It can play MP3 files but only supports a 2MB SD card so again not a wise move.
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Palm Pre blocked on iTunes
The Palm Pre had enabled itself to be recognised by iTunes, such that when you plugged it into your computer, iTunes thought the Pre was an iPod and proceeded to download music, video and picture files onto it. However, when iTunes 8.2.1 stops that and in Apple’s own words, “addresses an issue with verification of Apple devices.”
Apple may have blocked the access, but in doing so, they merely send the Palm Pre users elsewhere to use other sites. The world of 'exclusive' is not where we should be going in the digital market and this is yet another instance of xenophobia.
Apple may have blocked the access, but in doing so, they merely send the Palm Pre users elsewhere to use other sites. The world of 'exclusive' is not where we should be going in the digital market and this is yet another instance of xenophobia.
The Rights of Man
You switch on your Kindle and are just about to resume reading your latest novel only find it has gone. Not only have you lost it from your Kindle, but also from your library. You quickly scan the library to check that everything is there and find that Amazon, in a truly Orwellian move has gone in and removed it. The irony today is that Amazon removed George Orwell's ‘1984’ and ‘Animal Farm’.
Amazon state, "These books were added to our catalogue using our self-service platform by a third-party who did not have the rights to the books. When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers’ devices, and refunded customers."
"The Kindle edition books were removed from the Kindle store and are no longer available for purchase.," The consumer notification email is reported as reading, “When this occurred, your purchases were automatically refunded. You can still locate the books in the Kindle store, but each has a status of not yet available."
Irrespective how the take down, user communication and refund was achieved, the event highlights several digital issues.
Who owns what?Whose property is it once a sale has been achieved? We respect it may be an illegal copy but given the rights owner has to follow a take down process, why is there not a similar defined process with respect to the consumer?
If the copyright status of well known books can be confusing, what chance has the less well known books or even orphans of being protected? The industry requires a right registry but everyone wants to continue to slope their shoulders and expect others such as Google to set it up. Why don’t have a rights registry today and why have the appropriate associations and secondary publishers failed so miserably to step up to the mark? Why are we continuing to rely on the reactive and inefficient DMCA take down process that has failed so many times and given ‘safe harbour’ to the status quo?
What about the annotations and bookmarks added to any work by a consumer for the purpose of research or study? Once the file goes the wholes file goes, extras and all. Their own work is effectively taken without recall.
Amazon told the Register.co.uk, "We're changing out systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers’ devices in these circumstances," but what does that mean and what comfort does that give both copyright owner and the consumer? Will there be a standard for all ,or will it be as today, or everyone make it up as they go?
Publishers should also be accountable for copyright errors, after all how can the likes of Amazon know better? However, it is Amazon who gets the blame and whose reputation is tarnished not the publisher. It is Amazon who the consumer will point the finger at. However, even here there is a twist to the tale in that 1984 and Animal Farm were being sold as a public domain works by a digital packager, MobileReference. However how do they determine copyright when we live in a global connected world where1984 is out of copyright in Australia but in copyright in the US. This may penalise the US consumer today and yet tomorrow the Google rules could easily flip this for many books around the world. Who is going to police the global situation and territorial restrictions that are almost impossible to control?
We have read much on the Google settlement from those who advocate that it will be better than today and even scaremonger on what the alternative could be. However, incidents such as this clearly demonstrate once again that its time that a rights registry is established and not just for the benefit of one offer or one country but for all. In a business that is all about rights it is often embarrassing that we all sit and wait for others to tidy up the mess.
Amazon state, "These books were added to our catalogue using our self-service platform by a third-party who did not have the rights to the books. When we were notified of this by the rights holder, we removed the illegal copies from our systems and from customers’ devices, and refunded customers."
"The Kindle edition books were removed from the Kindle store and are no longer available for purchase.," The consumer notification email is reported as reading, “When this occurred, your purchases were automatically refunded. You can still locate the books in the Kindle store, but each has a status of not yet available."
Irrespective how the take down, user communication and refund was achieved, the event highlights several digital issues.
Who owns what?Whose property is it once a sale has been achieved? We respect it may be an illegal copy but given the rights owner has to follow a take down process, why is there not a similar defined process with respect to the consumer?
If the copyright status of well known books can be confusing, what chance has the less well known books or even orphans of being protected? The industry requires a right registry but everyone wants to continue to slope their shoulders and expect others such as Google to set it up. Why don’t have a rights registry today and why have the appropriate associations and secondary publishers failed so miserably to step up to the mark? Why are we continuing to rely on the reactive and inefficient DMCA take down process that has failed so many times and given ‘safe harbour’ to the status quo?
What about the annotations and bookmarks added to any work by a consumer for the purpose of research or study? Once the file goes the wholes file goes, extras and all. Their own work is effectively taken without recall.
Amazon told the Register.co.uk, "We're changing out systems so that in the future we will not remove books from customers’ devices in these circumstances," but what does that mean and what comfort does that give both copyright owner and the consumer? Will there be a standard for all ,or will it be as today, or everyone make it up as they go?
Publishers should also be accountable for copyright errors, after all how can the likes of Amazon know better? However, it is Amazon who gets the blame and whose reputation is tarnished not the publisher. It is Amazon who the consumer will point the finger at. However, even here there is a twist to the tale in that 1984 and Animal Farm were being sold as a public domain works by a digital packager, MobileReference. However how do they determine copyright when we live in a global connected world where1984 is out of copyright in Australia but in copyright in the US. This may penalise the US consumer today and yet tomorrow the Google rules could easily flip this for many books around the world. Who is going to police the global situation and territorial restrictions that are almost impossible to control?
We have read much on the Google settlement from those who advocate that it will be better than today and even scaremonger on what the alternative could be. However, incidents such as this clearly demonstrate once again that its time that a rights registry is established and not just for the benefit of one offer or one country but for all. In a business that is all about rights it is often embarrassing that we all sit and wait for others to tidy up the mess.
We Are Back!
What continues to impress me about Canada is the level of reading, for what is a country of a mere 30 million. In Toronto you can find the Central library virtually across from the Yorkville Library and only a short walk from a substantial Indigo store and a specialist Japanese Foundation library. Book City and BMV where also highly visible and appealing to the bargain buyers. Reading appears healthy pastime shared by many.
The HMV store in Montreal had an interesting arrangement of the books specially selected to appeal to their clients which included; Catcher In the Rye, Zen and the Art Motorcycle Maintenance, Lovely Bone, The Bell Jar, Animal Farm, On the Road.
Interestingly we didn't see any ebook readers!
The HMV store in Montreal had an interesting arrangement of the books specially selected to appeal to their clients which included; Catcher In the Rye, Zen and the Art Motorcycle Maintenance, Lovely Bone, The Bell Jar, Animal Farm, On the Road.
Interestingly we didn't see any ebook readers!
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Friday, July 03, 2009
US Justice Department Formally Asks: Have We Been Googled?
The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a formal investigation into the settlement between Google and book publishers over the digital publishing rights to certain books, citing antitrust concerns. Judge Denny Chin, who is ruling on the settlement, received formal notice of an investigation from the DOJ and released the letter as part of the court docket concerning the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Google issued a statement: "The Department of Justice and several state attorneys general have contacted us to learn more about the impact of the settlement, and we are happy to answer their questions. It's important to note that this agreement is non-exclusive and if approved by the court, stands to expand access to millions of books in the U.S."
Google has recently embarked on a charm offensive , making the argument that Google really isn't that dominant a company and reminding everyone that the competition "is just a click away."
Google issued a statement: "The Department of Justice and several state attorneys general have contacted us to learn more about the impact of the settlement, and we are happy to answer their questions. It's important to note that this agreement is non-exclusive and if approved by the court, stands to expand access to millions of books in the U.S."
Google has recently embarked on a charm offensive , making the argument that Google really isn't that dominant a company and reminding everyone that the competition "is just a click away."
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Trinity Mirror To Close Down 9 Locals
We all are aware of the advertising and digital challenges facing the newspaper industry worldwide. The locals are being hit hard by free models and a downturn in advertising and the nationals are losing the meatier advertising and are competing with there own free and online challenge.
Today Trinity Mirror announced the closure of 9 UK local newspapers in the Midlands and the lay off of some 120 staff. They are proposing to close the Loughborough Trader Xtra, Lichfield Post, Tamworth Times, Burton Trader, Ashby Trader & Echo, Coalville Echo, Walsall Observer,the Bedworth Echo, Rugby Times and two niche publications, the Earlsdon Blog and Farm Ad and merge the Solihull News and the Solihull Times in Birmingham. In addition Trinity's Midlands printing business is also being impacted by the layoffs.
The problem with the changes that are happening is that they are breaking up the newspaper infrastructure which develops journalists, feeds larger newspapers and news industry with validated stories and sustains many business print demands via their presses. The change could have long term effects on the quality and authority of what we read and the development of people writing it.
Today Trinity Mirror announced the closure of 9 UK local newspapers in the Midlands and the lay off of some 120 staff. They are proposing to close the Loughborough Trader Xtra, Lichfield Post, Tamworth Times, Burton Trader, Ashby Trader & Echo, Coalville Echo, Walsall Observer,the Bedworth Echo, Rugby Times and two niche publications, the Earlsdon Blog and Farm Ad and merge the Solihull News and the Solihull Times in Birmingham. In addition Trinity's Midlands printing business is also being impacted by the layoffs.
The problem with the changes that are happening is that they are breaking up the newspaper infrastructure which develops journalists, feeds larger newspapers and news industry with validated stories and sustains many business print demands via their presses. The change could have long term effects on the quality and authority of what we read and the development of people writing it.
There Are 2 Million Free Electronic Books On The Internet
Project Gutenberg has joined forces with The World Public Library and Digital Pulp Publishing, Internet Archive, Baen to promote The Forth World eBook Fair. Two years ago The First World eBook Fairs introduced 1/3 million books, which became a million and a quarter last year and this year tops two million. They expect to have 2 1/2 million by July 4. The contributions come from 100 plus eLibraries including; Project Gutenberg, The World Public Library, The Internet Archive, eBooks About Everything and IMSLP's Music eLibrary.
Michael Hart, Founder of Project Gutenberg and co-Founder of World eBook Fair has ambitious goals of widening the number of devices and programs people can read ebooks on and clearly has his eyes on mobiles. In addition he wants ebooks not just in the top six languages but for the 250 languages with over a million speakers.
The goal of World eBook Fair is to provide free public access for a month to 2 Million eBooks.
For more information: http://worldebookfair.org
Michael Hart, Founder of Project Gutenberg and co-Founder of World eBook Fair has ambitious goals of widening the number of devices and programs people can read ebooks on and clearly has his eyes on mobiles. In addition he wants ebooks not just in the top six languages but for the 250 languages with over a million speakers.
The goal of World eBook Fair is to provide free public access for a month to 2 Million eBooks.
For more information: http://worldebookfair.org
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
eBook Price Wars?
Are the gloves coming off and are we seeing just a pricing skirmish or a battle of wills and pricing nerves between Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble?
According to TechFlash Barnes & Noble, is now offering ebook versions of New York Times bestsellers for $9.95. This obviously is a fraction under than Amazon's standard $9.99 ebooks price for same books.
So is $9.95 better than $9.99? What is probably more important is the clear message it is sending to consumers and there is only one direction many go from here.
According to TechFlash Barnes & Noble, is now offering ebook versions of New York Times bestsellers for $9.95. This obviously is a fraction under than Amazon's standard $9.99 ebooks price for same books.
So is $9.95 better than $9.99? What is probably more important is the clear message it is sending to consumers and there is only one direction many go from here.
Sales Tax Impacts Amazon Affiliates
Amazon continues with its affiliate program in New York but has now stopped its affiliate programs in both Rhode Island and North Carolina. All three states have passed laws that would have required Amazon to collect sales tax on their affiliate program. Obviously, some states are worth the effort others maybe not.
So what is this sales tax and why is it affecting affiliate programs?
Sales tax is applied to the total amount of the order including gift-wrap fees and is based on the shipment's destination state and local sales tax rates. States that impose sales tax collection on Shipping & Handling expenses require that sales tax be applied to Shipping & Handling when the item that is being shipped is subject to sales tax. There are exemptions such as magazines, bibles and some states have no sales tax. The US also needs to note that goods sold to Canada incur GST (Goods and Services Tax).
The state of many state budgets is forcing them to look again at Sales tax and the opportunity to close loopholes and collect money. After all the tax is exactly the same as someone buying a book or goods in a retail store, they total the goods up and then sales tax is applied at the checkout. In the case of the affiliate program they would have to collect the tax and many may claim this would impact their business. So as an affiliate it would appear I have an economic model built on tax avoidance.
The question then is whether Amazon is right to blame the tax system for their withdraw from North Carolina, but accommodate it in New York? Many, such as Barnes and Noble, operate affiliate programs and deal with the taxation issues, so why can’t Amazon? Some may say that the affiliate program was just a way to build their brand and drive more buyers to what was an Amazon store that was being merchandised by others. They would also point out that the Kindle is ‘affiliate free’ and there has been a steady change in the affiliate business model that has been applied in Amazon’s favour.
There needs to be a level playing field between the physical store and the virtual one. Like so many issues, digitisation is now forcing us to question boundaries, rules and practices that have never been really tested.
So what is this sales tax and why is it affecting affiliate programs?
Sales tax is applied to the total amount of the order including gift-wrap fees and is based on the shipment's destination state and local sales tax rates. States that impose sales tax collection on Shipping & Handling expenses require that sales tax be applied to Shipping & Handling when the item that is being shipped is subject to sales tax. There are exemptions such as magazines, bibles and some states have no sales tax. The US also needs to note that goods sold to Canada incur GST (Goods and Services Tax).
The state of many state budgets is forcing them to look again at Sales tax and the opportunity to close loopholes and collect money. After all the tax is exactly the same as someone buying a book or goods in a retail store, they total the goods up and then sales tax is applied at the checkout. In the case of the affiliate program they would have to collect the tax and many may claim this would impact their business. So as an affiliate it would appear I have an economic model built on tax avoidance.
The question then is whether Amazon is right to blame the tax system for their withdraw from North Carolina, but accommodate it in New York? Many, such as Barnes and Noble, operate affiliate programs and deal with the taxation issues, so why can’t Amazon? Some may say that the affiliate program was just a way to build their brand and drive more buyers to what was an Amazon store that was being merchandised by others. They would also point out that the Kindle is ‘affiliate free’ and there has been a steady change in the affiliate business model that has been applied in Amazon’s favour.
There needs to be a level playing field between the physical store and the virtual one. Like so many issues, digitisation is now forcing us to question boundaries, rules and practices that have never been really tested.
Will The Kindle Swim In Germany?
Amazon’s Kindle plans to dominate all markets and break out of the US have taken a setback. One of its main market targets, Germany, is proving a difficult one with respect to their wireless connectivety. We have already written about Whispernet and its limitations now Wirtschaftswoche, report that negotiations have stalled. The issue is Amazon’s inability to strike a deal with the main wireless companies in Germany, T-Mobile and Vodafone.,
It is suggests that the problem may not just be about money but the fact that T-Mobile is owned by Deutsche Telekom, who is reported to be working on its own reader! Meanwhile Sony, with its PC tethered ereader offer continues to claim ground in Germany where it has struck a distribution agreements.
Amazon’s greatest strength is its wireless connection , but this only works if it is able to leverage that advantage, otherwise its lays like a beached whale, unable to swim and unable to move. Some would say that it would be relatively simple to make a dual device that offers both wireless and PC tethering, but that assumes you realized and built that architecture in the first place.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Pirate Bay Sold
Earlier this year the founders of The Pirate Bay were sentenced to one year in jail and a fine of $3.6 million for running the site. Now Swedish software firm Global Gaming Factory X has announced the acquisition of The Pirate Bay for 60 million Swedish crowns and also an agreement to acquire the shares in Peerialism , a software technology company that develops solutions for data distribution and distributed storage based on new p2p technology.
Global Gaming Factory X has stated that The Pirate Bay requires a new business model, which “satisfies the requirements and needs of all parties, content providers, broadband operators, end users, and the judiciary.” They intend to introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site.
The Pirate Bay has issued a statement claiming that it is being sold for less than its value but that the basis of the service will remain. It a bit like when Napster was bought out and the question now is whether The Pirate Bay will remain a force but under new rules or that like others before them the new rules dilute the service and turn off its followers.
Global Gaming Factory X has stated that The Pirate Bay requires a new business model, which “satisfies the requirements and needs of all parties, content providers, broadband operators, end users, and the judiciary.” They intend to introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site.
The Pirate Bay has issued a statement claiming that it is being sold for less than its value but that the basis of the service will remain. It a bit like when Napster was bought out and the question now is whether The Pirate Bay will remain a force but under new rules or that like others before them the new rules dilute the service and turn off its followers.
Wattpad Goes Android
Love them or hate them the self publishing online services are here. Some may say that the likes of Scribd and Wattpad often hide behind their DMCA (digital Millennium Copyright Act)safe harbour sanctuaries and act irresponsibly towards vetting content, others that the service they offer is long overdue and its up to copyright owners to police infringement not the service provider. Its an argument that isn’t going away and is at the heart of much infringement debate – do take down notices work or are they trying to bolt the stable doors after the horse has bolted?
Today Wattpad announced the availability of its popular mobile application on Google’s Android Market. This will now comptiment its iphone and Blackberry and Nokia Ovi applications and means that they have the major mobile smartphones covered. Wattpad claim to generate more than 2.5M visits, 20M pageviews per month from its website and mobile site and over 3 million downloads.
Scribd and Wattpad could clearly be very positive forces into the future and offer both writers and publishers new opportunities. The question is whether the content can be controlled proactively and they can become a trusted player, or whether they stay on the fringe offering so much but never quite trusted by all.
Today Wattpad announced the availability of its popular mobile application on Google’s Android Market. This will now comptiment its iphone and Blackberry and Nokia Ovi applications and means that they have the major mobile smartphones covered. Wattpad claim to generate more than 2.5M visits, 20M pageviews per month from its website and mobile site and over 3 million downloads.
Scribd and Wattpad could clearly be very positive forces into the future and offer both writers and publishers new opportunities. The question is whether the content can be controlled proactively and they can become a trusted player, or whether they stay on the fringe offering so much but never quite trusted by all.
Barnes & Noble Launch Iphone Bookstore
Barnes & Noble have announced the launch of its iPhone and iPod touch app. , promising users access to millions of titles. The Bookstore app enables users to access millions of titles, click on a jacket and within seconds they receive product details, editorial reviews, and customer ratings. Consumers may find and reserve a copy at the nearest B&N retail location, or make purchases via their BN.com account. The Bookstore also offers details on upcoming Barnes & Noble events, directions to their 777 bookstores in 50 states, bookseller recommendations, video clips and author interviews.
Earlier this year B&N acquired digital ebook retailer Fictionwise for $15.7 million and announced that they were is collaborating with Sprint and an unidentified manufacturer to develop an ebook device to rival Amazon.com's Kindle.
Earlier this year B&N acquired digital ebook retailer Fictionwise for $15.7 million and announced that they were is collaborating with Sprint and an unidentified manufacturer to develop an ebook device to rival Amazon.com's Kindle.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Carpe Diem
It’s the aspiration of the vast majority of the population to write a book. So has digitisation made it easier or even harder to get published today and what are the dependencies, relationships and rewards in this dynamically changing environment?
The publishing trade is shifting from one where publishers looked to cultivate long-term relationships with authors and develop their stable, to one where the greater emphasis is now to sell books. Some would suggest that it’s not a bad thing to focus on moving books rather than merely printing them. However, does that change the relationship and with it the contract between creator and producer?
Some see digitisation as just a change in output format whilst others recognise it challenges the traditional relationships. In a world where print on demand can effectively remove the term ‘out of print’ , we now have to understand rights reversals, term contracts, the line between promotional material and content itself and much more.
The changing marketplace is being driven by global economics, network connectivity and technology. Territorial boundaries that existed in the physical world are now questioned in the virtual world. Roles that controlled the physical world are being challenged by networks and what once was a unique, or highly skilled operation is becoming commodity available to all. Define an; agent, publisher, distributor, wholesaler, reseller, library and digital aggregator, then ask what the following are; Amazon, Google, Ingram, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony, FPD, Lulu, Scribd? Are we seeing the divergence of the market into more highly focused vertical segments or richer flatter horizontal ones? Which is better, volume through a supermarket, book club and internet sales or the traditional trade channel? Is publishing becoming more a ‘department store’, or niche and boutique? Are ‘special sales’ becoming a little less ‘special’ and what is the impact of all the above on the author?
So where does the aspiring author pitch their manuscript? Do they go the traditional route and hunt the agent? Do they put their manuscript up on the many social slush piles and hope to get spotted? Do they self publish and pay to achieve their ambitions? Digitisation certainly helps in both the availability of options and the lowering of the economics, but is it enough? The fact is that the number of titles ‘published’ by whatever means and in whatever format is going to continue to grow. The number of ‘best sellers’ are going to reduce and the traditional bookshelves will get smaller. The digital world enables consumers to be more discerning, eclectic and virtual and it also increases the potential for more consumers to read what they would never find today.
The biggest challenge is not digitisation, but its impact. We may focus on the consumer, the latest devices, even the price of books, but unless we pay equal attention to the authors of yesterday, today and tomorrow, we may find as with other media sectors, it is they that hold the keys to many digital doors. What is the appropriate royalty expectation on digital sales? In a world where pricing is ill-defined, should royalties be based on list price or net sales? When digital removes ‘out of print’ should contracts be term based? Musicians, sportsmen, entertainers have all started to take control; is this now possible in the world of the book?
The one thing that is certain about tomorrow is that the aspiration to write will not go away and irrespective of how it is achieved, neither will the reward sought for doing it.
The publishing trade is shifting from one where publishers looked to cultivate long-term relationships with authors and develop their stable, to one where the greater emphasis is now to sell books. Some would suggest that it’s not a bad thing to focus on moving books rather than merely printing them. However, does that change the relationship and with it the contract between creator and producer?
Some see digitisation as just a change in output format whilst others recognise it challenges the traditional relationships. In a world where print on demand can effectively remove the term ‘out of print’ , we now have to understand rights reversals, term contracts, the line between promotional material and content itself and much more.
The changing marketplace is being driven by global economics, network connectivity and technology. Territorial boundaries that existed in the physical world are now questioned in the virtual world. Roles that controlled the physical world are being challenged by networks and what once was a unique, or highly skilled operation is becoming commodity available to all. Define an; agent, publisher, distributor, wholesaler, reseller, library and digital aggregator, then ask what the following are; Amazon, Google, Ingram, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Sony, FPD, Lulu, Scribd? Are we seeing the divergence of the market into more highly focused vertical segments or richer flatter horizontal ones? Which is better, volume through a supermarket, book club and internet sales or the traditional trade channel? Is publishing becoming more a ‘department store’, or niche and boutique? Are ‘special sales’ becoming a little less ‘special’ and what is the impact of all the above on the author?
So where does the aspiring author pitch their manuscript? Do they go the traditional route and hunt the agent? Do they put their manuscript up on the many social slush piles and hope to get spotted? Do they self publish and pay to achieve their ambitions? Digitisation certainly helps in both the availability of options and the lowering of the economics, but is it enough? The fact is that the number of titles ‘published’ by whatever means and in whatever format is going to continue to grow. The number of ‘best sellers’ are going to reduce and the traditional bookshelves will get smaller. The digital world enables consumers to be more discerning, eclectic and virtual and it also increases the potential for more consumers to read what they would never find today.
The biggest challenge is not digitisation, but its impact. We may focus on the consumer, the latest devices, even the price of books, but unless we pay equal attention to the authors of yesterday, today and tomorrow, we may find as with other media sectors, it is they that hold the keys to many digital doors. What is the appropriate royalty expectation on digital sales? In a world where pricing is ill-defined, should royalties be based on list price or net sales? When digital removes ‘out of print’ should contracts be term based? Musicians, sportsmen, entertainers have all started to take control; is this now possible in the world of the book?
The one thing that is certain about tomorrow is that the aspiration to write will not go away and irrespective of how it is achieved, neither will the reward sought for doing it.
Universal Mobile Charger
Life could soon be easier for millions of mobile phone users across Europe.
Having left mobile chargers in hotel and meeting rooms the news that agreement has been finally agreed between the mobile industry and the European Commission to create a standard phone is welcome. Obviously they may not be effective until you have the handset to take it but once achieved the deal also offers 50% energy savings to the 400 million users across the EU.
The deal isn't legally binding and will use a micro-USB connection. Under it the companies, which represent 90% of the European mobile and include LG, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Motorola, Research in Motion and Samsung, are committed to developing the charger next year.
EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen says he also wants to see the common charger expand in the years ahead to cover other phones, existing phones, cameras and laptops.
Having left mobile chargers in hotel and meeting rooms the news that agreement has been finally agreed between the mobile industry and the European Commission to create a standard phone is welcome. Obviously they may not be effective until you have the handset to take it but once achieved the deal also offers 50% energy savings to the 400 million users across the EU.
The deal isn't legally binding and will use a micro-USB connection. Under it the companies, which represent 90% of the European mobile and include LG, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Motorola, Research in Motion and Samsung, are committed to developing the charger next year.
EU Industry Commissioner Guenter Verheugen says he also wants to see the common charger expand in the years ahead to cover other phones, existing phones, cameras and laptops.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
It Would Be Funny If It Didn't Spend Public Funds
It appears the phrase ‘Double Dutch’ is back, as we read that Amsterdam is one of 20 cities participating in a pilot aimed at replacing all paper documents with electronic ones. Does this mean that they will be issued with netbooks, iPhones or laptop tablets? No, Binnenlands Bestuur reports, that council members are already being issued with an e-reader, and that after the 2010 election, all council members in the participating municipalities will get one.
We know the strong ties that Holland has to eInk, but at a reported cost of around 700 euro this hardly looks a smart move. The readers will obviously be grey, have no wifi and still need to be attached to a PC to move documents and have limited capability compared with a host of cheaper options. So we can safely say a complete waste of their taxpayers’ money and obviously driven by a misguided bureaucrat who didn’t realise the restrictions of these devices or doesn't understand the word hype.
We know the strong ties that Holland has to eInk, but at a reported cost of around 700 euro this hardly looks a smart move. The readers will obviously be grey, have no wifi and still need to be attached to a PC to move documents and have limited capability compared with a host of cheaper options. So we can safely say a complete waste of their taxpayers’ money and obviously driven by a misguided bureaucrat who didn’t realise the restrictions of these devices or doesn't understand the word hype.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Adult Only iPhone Apps
Apple previously rejected an iPhone app ‘the Kama Sutra’ and also has denied South Park and Nine Inch Nails apps for explicit language. Many questioned the logic, but its strict guidelines and approval process are generally accepted and admired. However, this may be changing now with the introduction of age-verification with their new 3.0 software. When a user attempts to download age restricted app, an alert pops up asking if the user is over 17 and parents now will also have the ability to limit what type of apps their children can download if they share an iTunes account. The age-verification process may now be shifting the responsibility to the end user and avoiding Apple having to determine what is objectionable content and also speed up the app approval process.
In what appears to be a shift from its previous guidelines, Apple has approved the first App Store program with nudity. ‘Hottest Girls’ and its sister app Sexybytes come under the genre ‘lifesytle’ and are available for £0.59.They appear to be rather tame compared to what is available at a click all over the Internet and show pictures of scantily clad women, with some of the models being topless. They demonstrate once more that the sex industry is always at the front and although tame in this case, are knocking at the door. They could also signal a new adult only app boom.
In what appears to be a shift from its previous guidelines, Apple has approved the first App Store program with nudity. ‘Hottest Girls’ and its sister app Sexybytes come under the genre ‘lifesytle’ and are available for £0.59.They appear to be rather tame compared to what is available at a click all over the Internet and show pictures of scantily clad women, with some of the models being topless. They demonstrate once more that the sex industry is always at the front and although tame in this case, are knocking at the door. They could also signal a new adult only app boom.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
AAP Musters Its Support
AN OPEN LETTER FROM
THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS
Dear Industry Colleague:
In the countdown to the October 7 court hearing on the Google Book Settlement we are encountering heated rhetoric from opponents, much of it hyperbolic and misleading. My job at AAP’s helm is not only to shepherd our membership through the coming months but to remind the industry at large that the Settlement offers enormous benefits and represents our best hope of remaining competitive and vibrant in the digital environment.
Millions of copyright-protected books are out of print and largely out of reach, available only through the largest research libraries in the country. The Google Book Settlement announced in October 2008 – the result of 30 months of negotiations between and among authors, publishers, university libraries and Google -- changes all that, working a revolution in the access to knowledge. If approved by the court, the settlement will:
• Provide readers and researchers with access to millions of out-of-print books, many of which are currently difficult or impossible for readers to obtain, in a searchable online database.
• Turn every public library building in the U.S. into a world-class research facility by providing free access to the online portal of out-of-print books.
• Permit any college or university in the U.S. to subscribe to the same rich database of out-of-print books.
• Give new commercial life to millions of books, while protecting the economic rights of authors and publishers.
If not approved by the court, the litigation between AAP, the Authors Guild and Google may continue for years, and with a great risk that authors and publishers will have no effective means to stop the widespread use of copyrighted material that is likely to follow.
In recent days some strong arguments in favor of the Settlement have appeared in print. They are all the more impressive because they come not from AAP, Google, or the Authors Guild, but from individuals who are not party to the Settlement.
One is a letter to the Financial Times from David Balto a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and former Policy Director of the Federal Trade Commission. It can be found at:
Booklovers should cheer Google’s plan
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8bf99ea8-6057-11de-a09b-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
The second is a remarkably lucid piece by financial columnist (The Big Money) Mark Gimein. It can be found at:
In Defense of Google Books
http://www.reuters.com/article/bigMoney/idUS104837430520090624
The last is a statement by Paul N. Courant, Dean of Libraries at the University of Michigan. It can be found at:
Google Agreement will extend U-M libraries’ accessibility
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/06/other_voices_google_agreement.html
For a better understanding of what’s at stake, I urge you to read these.
With best regards,
Tom Allen
THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
OF THE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS
Dear Industry Colleague:
In the countdown to the October 7 court hearing on the Google Book Settlement we are encountering heated rhetoric from opponents, much of it hyperbolic and misleading. My job at AAP’s helm is not only to shepherd our membership through the coming months but to remind the industry at large that the Settlement offers enormous benefits and represents our best hope of remaining competitive and vibrant in the digital environment.
Millions of copyright-protected books are out of print and largely out of reach, available only through the largest research libraries in the country. The Google Book Settlement announced in October 2008 – the result of 30 months of negotiations between and among authors, publishers, university libraries and Google -- changes all that, working a revolution in the access to knowledge. If approved by the court, the settlement will:
• Provide readers and researchers with access to millions of out-of-print books, many of which are currently difficult or impossible for readers to obtain, in a searchable online database.
• Turn every public library building in the U.S. into a world-class research facility by providing free access to the online portal of out-of-print books.
• Permit any college or university in the U.S. to subscribe to the same rich database of out-of-print books.
• Give new commercial life to millions of books, while protecting the economic rights of authors and publishers.
If not approved by the court, the litigation between AAP, the Authors Guild and Google may continue for years, and with a great risk that authors and publishers will have no effective means to stop the widespread use of copyrighted material that is likely to follow.
In recent days some strong arguments in favor of the Settlement have appeared in print. They are all the more impressive because they come not from AAP, Google, or the Authors Guild, but from individuals who are not party to the Settlement.
One is a letter to the Financial Times from David Balto a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and former Policy Director of the Federal Trade Commission. It can be found at:
Booklovers should cheer Google’s plan
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8bf99ea8-6057-11de-a09b-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_check=1
The second is a remarkably lucid piece by financial columnist (The Big Money) Mark Gimein. It can be found at:
In Defense of Google Books
http://www.reuters.com/article/bigMoney/idUS104837430520090624
The last is a statement by Paul N. Courant, Dean of Libraries at the University of Michigan. It can be found at:
Google Agreement will extend U-M libraries’ accessibility
http://www.mlive.com/opinion/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2009/06/other_voices_google_agreement.html
For a better understanding of what’s at stake, I urge you to read these.
With best regards,
Tom Allen
Digitisation Is All About The Money
Some 10 years ago an 18-year-old Shawn Fanning released his Napster file-sharing program on the internet and started to destabilise the business models that had supported media over the best part of the last century - a digital revolution that continues today. Fanning turned the computer into a media and entertainment player and created ‘free’. At its peak in February 2001, more than 60 million people worldwide used Napster and in that month downloaded 2.79 billion songs.Putting the cat back in the bag was going to be hard.
Speaking at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Steve Ballmer, CEO Microsoft, warned that all media companies should not plan for revenues to bounce back to pre-recession levels, that traditional media business would continue to see their share of the advertising revenue move to digital. He stated that newspaper publishers have failed to generate new revenues from the digital opportunity and predicted that within 10 years all traditional content will be digital and online. He claimed that the old approach of simply trying to replicate a print newspaper online is doomed to fail. He failed to say where the money was.
Earlier this year, US Congress made permanent a requirement that all research funded by the National Institutes of Health be openly accessible, and others are following. Academic and scientific publishing is being challenged by online, free and searchable open access. Newspapers face meltdown as they attempt a digital transition and find that their ad revenues have left the room without them. Music is moving from the album and track to live and the musicians are taking back control. Music prices are in ‘free’ fall.
The challenge we face is not digitisation, but the business model or models to support digital media, be it books, films, music, TV, games, podcasts, whatever. We now have to also ask whether we are focusing on the right part of the value chain, or merely trying to prop up the traditional one? Yesterday, all creators, artists, authors were ‘lost’ and needed a publisher or intermediary to shape them and present them to the channel. Publishers understood the packaging and production of the media and also had the relationships to maximise its exposure to the market and its distribution through trusted channels. The consumer, creator and the reseller, all required the intermediary. However , does that translate to the digital world? Will all today’s players make it to the Brave New World, or just as with previous major changes,will some become victims of the change in business models and value?
Who do you think has a place in the future; the author, the agent, the publisher, the wholesaler/distributor, the reseller, the library, or a different player? More importantly, where’s the money and who gets it?
Speaking at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, Steve Ballmer, CEO Microsoft, warned that all media companies should not plan for revenues to bounce back to pre-recession levels, that traditional media business would continue to see their share of the advertising revenue move to digital. He stated that newspaper publishers have failed to generate new revenues from the digital opportunity and predicted that within 10 years all traditional content will be digital and online. He claimed that the old approach of simply trying to replicate a print newspaper online is doomed to fail. He failed to say where the money was.
Earlier this year, US Congress made permanent a requirement that all research funded by the National Institutes of Health be openly accessible, and others are following. Academic and scientific publishing is being challenged by online, free and searchable open access. Newspapers face meltdown as they attempt a digital transition and find that their ad revenues have left the room without them. Music is moving from the album and track to live and the musicians are taking back control. Music prices are in ‘free’ fall.
The challenge we face is not digitisation, but the business model or models to support digital media, be it books, films, music, TV, games, podcasts, whatever. We now have to also ask whether we are focusing on the right part of the value chain, or merely trying to prop up the traditional one? Yesterday, all creators, artists, authors were ‘lost’ and needed a publisher or intermediary to shape them and present them to the channel. Publishers understood the packaging and production of the media and also had the relationships to maximise its exposure to the market and its distribution through trusted channels. The consumer, creator and the reseller, all required the intermediary. However , does that translate to the digital world? Will all today’s players make it to the Brave New World, or just as with previous major changes,will some become victims of the change in business models and value?
Who do you think has a place in the future; the author, the agent, the publisher, the wholesaler/distributor, the reseller, the library, or a different player? More importantly, where’s the money and who gets it?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Twitter Sees Stella Growth
Twitter has gone from the 969th most visited UK website to the 38th, the 5th most-visited social network and Traffic to the site grew by more than 2200% from May 2008 to May 2009, according to web analysts at Hitwise. The stats even exclude people accessing their Twitter accounts via mobile phones and third party applications such as Twitterific, Twitterfeed and Tweetdeck.Twitter has been the fastest growing major website in the UK over the last 12 months and given its high public profile certainly is one of the most talked about today.
Interestingly it is failing to drive sales and against Google’s 30% and Facebooks 15%, Twitter only gets 9.5% of its traffic clicking through to transactional websites. However, Dell, claims to have generated $3m in sales via Twitter, but appears to be the exception rather than the rule today.
Like others before them they now have to find the money and hold onto the eyeballs but they have already provided that YouTube news moment in getting news out of Iran and disciplining all to those all to few characters.
Intel, Nokia and Flash10
When it comes to partnerships we see two or more players getting together that can change the market or at least make it sit up and take notice.
We have the world's largest chip maker Intel teaming up with the world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia. This "technology collaboration" could deliver mobile computing products even beyond the existing smartphones, netbooks and notebooks. However, all they are saying today is collaboration.
But both companies added it was still too early to talk about product plans.
The deal gives Intel its first real breakthrough in the multi-billion dollar mobile-phone market.
The partnership will centre around several open-source mobile Linux software projects and Intel will acquire a licence from Nokia that is used in modem chips.
Intel's microprocessors are found in eight out of 10 personal computers, while Nokia boasts around a billion mobile customers. This partnership obviously pitches Atom chips against ARM chips and accelerate the adoption of smartphones in the world from its current 10% of market share to the majority of the market.
Far more exciting is the news that Adobe Flash10 is coming to the mobile world for most mobile operating systems later this year, including Google Android, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Nokia Symbian and Palm WebOS. However, no mention of Apple’s iPhone.
Developers will be able to get their hands on a beta version of Flash Player 10 mobile later this year.
Why is Flash10 such a big deal? Flash Player 10 will enable smartphones to offer a richer Internet browsing experience, support videos embedded on some websites and importantly enable web based applications and breaking the reliance on app stores and control.
Flash8 or Flash Lite has been available on mobile platforms but the new Flash Player 10 will bring an improved graphical and audio performance, across more mobile operating systems.
The big question is Apple who face so many challengers on so many fronts but continue to go a lone path. This could serious help the real contenders such as Android and Palm's WebOS.
We have the world's largest chip maker Intel teaming up with the world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia. This "technology collaboration" could deliver mobile computing products even beyond the existing smartphones, netbooks and notebooks. However, all they are saying today is collaboration.
But both companies added it was still too early to talk about product plans.
The deal gives Intel its first real breakthrough in the multi-billion dollar mobile-phone market.
The partnership will centre around several open-source mobile Linux software projects and Intel will acquire a licence from Nokia that is used in modem chips.
Intel's microprocessors are found in eight out of 10 personal computers, while Nokia boasts around a billion mobile customers. This partnership obviously pitches Atom chips against ARM chips and accelerate the adoption of smartphones in the world from its current 10% of market share to the majority of the market.
Far more exciting is the news that Adobe Flash10 is coming to the mobile world for most mobile operating systems later this year, including Google Android, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Nokia Symbian and Palm WebOS. However, no mention of Apple’s iPhone.
Developers will be able to get their hands on a beta version of Flash Player 10 mobile later this year.
Why is Flash10 such a big deal? Flash Player 10 will enable smartphones to offer a richer Internet browsing experience, support videos embedded on some websites and importantly enable web based applications and breaking the reliance on app stores and control.
Flash8 or Flash Lite has been available on mobile platforms but the new Flash Player 10 will bring an improved graphical and audio performance, across more mobile operating systems.
The big question is Apple who face so many challengers on so many fronts but continue to go a lone path. This could serious help the real contenders such as Android and Palm's WebOS.
Ring Mummy and Daddy
Would you want to give a four year old a mobile phone? More than half of children in the UK aged between five and nine now own a mobile phone.
A mobile phone targeted at children is to be launched in the UK from Firefly. The glowPhone has only five buttons, one is a direct line to the child's mother, another to their father, another accesses a phonebook that can hold 20 numbers - all individually entered by the parents. The phone can also be set up to block any incoming calls from unrecognised numbers.
No internet, camera, or SMS just a simple phone.
Will it be allowed into the UK? The glowPhone, is already on sale in the US and Ireland, is expected to cost £85 without a SIM when it is released in the UK. Over 7,000 of the phones have already been sold by O2 in Ireland, where it is available on the O2 network.
We don’t think that publishers will be able to target this market but we bet the calls could soon mount up especially to the parents when they are out of site!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Plastic Logic Demo
If you want to look at the Plastic Logic from Wall Street Journal 'Plastic Logic: The Full D7 Demo'
Looking at the demo it looks still like a prototype. It sounds like a technology looking to solve a problem and one that was announced very early, no pricing, still crude and clearly shows they have some way to go yet.
Looking at the demo it looks still like a prototype. It sounds like a technology looking to solve a problem and one that was announced very early, no pricing, still crude and clearly shows they have some way to go yet.
Children Always Have To Ask 'Why?'
My daughter wanted to buy her mother something special for her retirement. Her mum lives and works in education in Kala Lumpar and spends half her year there and the other in Toronto. She reads a lot and travels a lot.
I was next asked,’ Why does the Kindle only work in the US?’ I explained although I somehow found myself repeating the question.
‘What other reader would you suggest?’ Again I gave a long list and explained what little differences there were and found myself wondering how you would honestly choose.
‘Can she buy books and download them anywhere?’ Why do they need to be downloaded to a PC first my Apple doesn’t?’, ‘If I buy a download will it play on any device?’, ‘Can I share books with my mum?’, ‘Are the books cheaper?’,’Are all the books in shops available digitally?’, ‘ DRM?’, ‘Why is it only greyscale?’, ‘isn’t a bit silly carrying hundreds of books around with you all the time?’
You may think my daughter is young , she isn’t. You may think she is a bit dumb, she isn’t and holds down a major job with a major global blue chip broadcaster. You may think she isn’t technically savvy, she has a Blackberry, netbook (work) and iPhone and laptop (private) and often teaches me stuff. It wasn’t till I was put on the spot and had to answer hard question I realised how difficult we make digitisation for consumers.
The answer was an iPhone but I was then told she likes handle books not gadgets.
I was next asked,’ Why does the Kindle only work in the US?’ I explained although I somehow found myself repeating the question.
‘What other reader would you suggest?’ Again I gave a long list and explained what little differences there were and found myself wondering how you would honestly choose.
‘Can she buy books and download them anywhere?’ Why do they need to be downloaded to a PC first my Apple doesn’t?’, ‘If I buy a download will it play on any device?’, ‘Can I share books with my mum?’, ‘Are the books cheaper?’,’Are all the books in shops available digitally?’, ‘ DRM?’, ‘Why is it only greyscale?’, ‘isn’t a bit silly carrying hundreds of books around with you all the time?’
You may think my daughter is young , she isn’t. You may think she is a bit dumb, she isn’t and holds down a major job with a major global blue chip broadcaster. You may think she isn’t technically savvy, she has a Blackberry, netbook (work) and iPhone and laptop (private) and often teaches me stuff. It wasn’t till I was put on the spot and had to answer hard question I realised how difficult we make digitisation for consumers.
The answer was an iPhone but I was then told she likes handle books not gadgets.
Are All Pirates Treated Equally?
The piracy battles rage on with on one hand the content owners resolute to take on the fight through every and any means and on the other the pirates who play by different rules and vales. Some may think it’s a battle of morals between right and wrong but the reality is that both sides do not agree even on the definitions and therefore are fighting over principles that they will never agree on. Media companies are struggling to persuade consumers to pay for video, music or news online and many consumers believe content on the Web is free.
“The history of file-sharing is that every time the industry takes action, by the time it tackles a bigger source of the problem, the problem has moved elsewhere,” said Mark Mulligan, analyst at Forrester Research.
A recent study has found that 8 %of consumers have admittedly watched an illegally downloaded video file. The study, conducted by research firm Futuresource Consulting, surveyed consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany. The survey also found that 90 percent of those who watched video content online had never paid to watch news or recently-missed TV shows. Just over half had never paid to watch new movies. But most said they would or might be willing to pay in future.
Last week Jammie Thomas-Rasset was found guilty and received what many see as an obscene fine totally out of proportion to the crime. Was she guilty – Yes. Should she be fined – Yes. However the fine itself has just made life more difficult for all as its hardened one side and introduced an element of bad press for the winners. Where The Pirate Bay guilty – as Napster, Kasaa and others before. The the RIAA (Recording Industry Assn. of America) has failed to cut into the volume of copyrighted material on peer-to-peer networks, what has started to shift the balance has been broader licensing. Often people still turned to piracy because they couldn’t find what they were seeking on authorized channels.
In last week’s Digital Britain white paper the government set out its ambition to reduce online piracy by 70 per cent. Its plans included requiring internet service providers to write warning letters to customers spotted illegally downloading music, TV shows and movies, while persistent “offenders” could be pursued in the courts.
If, after a year, fewer than 70% of those receiving warnings ceased downloading, Ofcom could impose measures such as barring specific sites, filtering illegally acquired content or limiting the speed and capacity of broadband connections.
So on one hand we have everyone trying to control. Restrict and grapple with copyright infringement but is this message a consistent one?
Google scanned significant copyright material in the guise of fair use. The case was never proven because it was railroaded to produce a settlement that only lawyers can comprehend. It is also viewed by many as rewarding those who infringed. What message does that send out to the market?
What we face is a law and governance that flies with the wind or some may say the dollar. What is right to prosecute those who as individuals can make little impact on the numbers, prosecute the carriers who give them a portal, prosecute the services that are happy to work within DMCA and a safe harbour or those who scan first, claim it is for humanity and then say they are going to be a bookseller and sell the stuff they effectively took?
Crazy world and clearly one where some are more equal than others.
“The history of file-sharing is that every time the industry takes action, by the time it tackles a bigger source of the problem, the problem has moved elsewhere,” said Mark Mulligan, analyst at Forrester Research.
A recent study has found that 8 %of consumers have admittedly watched an illegally downloaded video file. The study, conducted by research firm Futuresource Consulting, surveyed consumers in the US, UK, France and Germany. The survey also found that 90 percent of those who watched video content online had never paid to watch news or recently-missed TV shows. Just over half had never paid to watch new movies. But most said they would or might be willing to pay in future.
Last week Jammie Thomas-Rasset was found guilty and received what many see as an obscene fine totally out of proportion to the crime. Was she guilty – Yes. Should she be fined – Yes. However the fine itself has just made life more difficult for all as its hardened one side and introduced an element of bad press for the winners. Where The Pirate Bay guilty – as Napster, Kasaa and others before. The the RIAA (Recording Industry Assn. of America) has failed to cut into the volume of copyrighted material on peer-to-peer networks, what has started to shift the balance has been broader licensing. Often people still turned to piracy because they couldn’t find what they were seeking on authorized channels.
In last week’s Digital Britain white paper the government set out its ambition to reduce online piracy by 70 per cent. Its plans included requiring internet service providers to write warning letters to customers spotted illegally downloading music, TV shows and movies, while persistent “offenders” could be pursued in the courts.
If, after a year, fewer than 70% of those receiving warnings ceased downloading, Ofcom could impose measures such as barring specific sites, filtering illegally acquired content or limiting the speed and capacity of broadband connections.
So on one hand we have everyone trying to control. Restrict and grapple with copyright infringement but is this message a consistent one?
Google scanned significant copyright material in the guise of fair use. The case was never proven because it was railroaded to produce a settlement that only lawyers can comprehend. It is also viewed by many as rewarding those who infringed. What message does that send out to the market?
What we face is a law and governance that flies with the wind or some may say the dollar. What is right to prosecute those who as individuals can make little impact on the numbers, prosecute the carriers who give them a portal, prosecute the services that are happy to work within DMCA and a safe harbour or those who scan first, claim it is for humanity and then say they are going to be a bookseller and sell the stuff they effectively took?
Crazy world and clearly one where some are more equal than others.
iPhone News
We note that over one million iPhone 3GS units were sold in just its first three days and take a quick look at iPhone world..
Three Book App Moments
OUP has made 11 of its reference dictionaries available for the first time on the iPhone and iTouch Apps at £8.99 each. They are searchable, have unlimited bookmarking and you can email the definitions to friends.
The available titles are: Oxford Dictionary of Accounting; Oxford Dictionary of Biology; Oxford Dictionary of Business & Management; Oxford Dictionary of Chemistry; Oxford Dictionary of Computing; Oxford Dictionary of Finance & Banking; Oxford Dictionary of Law; Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary; Oxford Dictionary of Music; Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy; Oxford Dictionary of Politics.
In another launch IDW Publishing is a new line of digital comic apps allowing fans to download comics directly to their iPhone or iPod Touch. The 12 new movie-related digital comics are a must-read for all TRANSFORMERS fan, setting the stage for the upcoming TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN film. The iPhone comics are supported with a custom landing page on the iTunes store and feature panel-by-panel viewing, easy to use controls, such as “swipe” navigation, and a convenient table of contents function. These come on the back the 40 digital comics, such as Star Trek: Countdown that IDW have already created.
After reference and comics we also note that The Audiobooks app has captured the number one Apple's free App spot for the books category. The app introduces a catalogue of 1,800 free audiobooks to iPhone and iPod Touch users and potentially offering a audiobook long overdue moment.
The catalogue of nearly 10,000 hours of listening is to be applauded as it uses recordings from the LibriVox Project, which is a collection of volunteer-read audio books from the public domain.
Market News
Meanwhile anyone who doubted that Apple had created the winner of the smartphone pack need to look no further than the news that a survey, by market research firm Crowd Science, found that 40% smartphone users who don't have an iPhone want one next time round and 80% upgrade to the next Apple device next time. Interestingly only 14% of non-BlackBerry users would switch to a BlackBerry device for their next mobile phone. According to Gartner Apple has doubled its share of the worldwide smartphone market in the first quarter to 10.8% from 5.3% a year ago. Another interest note from the Crowd Science study was that 71% of smartphone subscribers use them for both personal and business purposes, with only 3% using them just for business.
The Downside
One downside appears the news that all the exclusive carriers appear to wantto charge for tethering, or being able to use the iPhone as a mobile modem for the laptop. Some say its hard or almost impossible for them to detect and others point users to simple way to break it via benm.at. Tethering is an obvious benefit to mobile people and was made available as part of OS 3.0 so it seems harsh that the carriers are using to raise revenues and create a barrier to buy when it would be a major plus if it was free within the unlimited Internet access plans.
The other downside appears to be the news that the Interim Federal Communications Commission chair Michael Copps is calling for an examination of exclusive handset deals to establish if they are restricting innovation. US Senator Kerry wrote to the FCC suggesting that such deals risk giving too much power to dominant networks, with particular reference to the iPhone and AT&T.
Three Book App Moments
OUP has made 11 of its reference dictionaries available for the first time on the iPhone and iTouch Apps at £8.99 each. They are searchable, have unlimited bookmarking and you can email the definitions to friends.
The available titles are: Oxford Dictionary of Accounting; Oxford Dictionary of Biology; Oxford Dictionary of Business & Management; Oxford Dictionary of Chemistry; Oxford Dictionary of Computing; Oxford Dictionary of Finance & Banking; Oxford Dictionary of Law; Oxford Concise Medical Dictionary; Oxford Dictionary of Music; Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy; Oxford Dictionary of Politics.
In another launch IDW Publishing is a new line of digital comic apps allowing fans to download comics directly to their iPhone or iPod Touch. The 12 new movie-related digital comics are a must-read for all TRANSFORMERS fan, setting the stage for the upcoming TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN film. The iPhone comics are supported with a custom landing page on the iTunes store and feature panel-by-panel viewing, easy to use controls, such as “swipe” navigation, and a convenient table of contents function. These come on the back the 40 digital comics, such as Star Trek: Countdown that IDW have already created.
After reference and comics we also note that The Audiobooks app has captured the number one Apple's free App spot for the books category. The app introduces a catalogue of 1,800 free audiobooks to iPhone and iPod Touch users and potentially offering a audiobook long overdue moment.
The catalogue of nearly 10,000 hours of listening is to be applauded as it uses recordings from the LibriVox Project, which is a collection of volunteer-read audio books from the public domain.
Market News
Meanwhile anyone who doubted that Apple had created the winner of the smartphone pack need to look no further than the news that a survey, by market research firm Crowd Science, found that 40% smartphone users who don't have an iPhone want one next time round and 80% upgrade to the next Apple device next time. Interestingly only 14% of non-BlackBerry users would switch to a BlackBerry device for their next mobile phone. According to Gartner Apple has doubled its share of the worldwide smartphone market in the first quarter to 10.8% from 5.3% a year ago. Another interest note from the Crowd Science study was that 71% of smartphone subscribers use them for both personal and business purposes, with only 3% using them just for business.
The Downside
One downside appears the news that all the exclusive carriers appear to wantto charge for tethering, or being able to use the iPhone as a mobile modem for the laptop. Some say its hard or almost impossible for them to detect and others point users to simple way to break it via benm.at. Tethering is an obvious benefit to mobile people and was made available as part of OS 3.0 so it seems harsh that the carriers are using to raise revenues and create a barrier to buy when it would be a major plus if it was free within the unlimited Internet access plans.
The other downside appears to be the news that the Interim Federal Communications Commission chair Michael Copps is calling for an examination of exclusive handset deals to establish if they are restricting innovation. US Senator Kerry wrote to the FCC suggesting that such deals risk giving too much power to dominant networks, with particular reference to the iPhone and AT&T.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Tecnology In Schools Isn't About Digitising Textbooks
In ‘A Day In The Life’ The Beatles sung about the news story of 4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, but The Telegrapgh gave us a different sort of news story from there today.
The Redeemer Church of England Primary School has been voted top ICT (information and communications technology) primary school in the country with the judges remarking that ICT had been "totally embedded" in all aspects of the school experience, there was "exceptional practice" at foundation stage, and pupil assessment was "exemplary, not least through self-assessments".
Four of the school's brightest 10-year-olds have won a nationwide computer-engineering competition, which required them to programme a Lego vehicle to perform precise manoeuvres against the clock. Educationalists from all over the world now stop off in Blackburn to see what's been achieved at The Redeemer, and with what equipment. Most significantly, the school has been declared a regional training centre by computer giant Apple, whose products proliferate throughout the classrooms.
In 2005, Ofsted rated the school among the bottom 10 % in the country; now it's in the top 10 %. The school is only five years old and has spent as little as £40,000 in making its transformation.
So what is different and how did this school transform itself?
They not only have embraced technology but have built it into the learning experience. instead of geography and history, pupils study "knowledge and understanding of the world" and instead of art and crafts, they do "creative development".
Head teacher Alison Ashworth-Taylor says, "While teaching children to operate within the present pen-and-paper examination system, we are at the same time training them for a future in which technology is going to play an ever bigger part. Quite what form that will take, no one knows. But at least our children will be ready for it."
Not every school has the knowledge or the talent to be a Redeemer, but it’s refreshing that they are not merely replacing textbooks with screens but using technology to enhance and engage the children in learning.
The Redeemer Church of England Primary School has been voted top ICT (information and communications technology) primary school in the country with the judges remarking that ICT had been "totally embedded" in all aspects of the school experience, there was "exceptional practice" at foundation stage, and pupil assessment was "exemplary, not least through self-assessments".
Four of the school's brightest 10-year-olds have won a nationwide computer-engineering competition, which required them to programme a Lego vehicle to perform precise manoeuvres against the clock. Educationalists from all over the world now stop off in Blackburn to see what's been achieved at The Redeemer, and with what equipment. Most significantly, the school has been declared a regional training centre by computer giant Apple, whose products proliferate throughout the classrooms.
In 2005, Ofsted rated the school among the bottom 10 % in the country; now it's in the top 10 %. The school is only five years old and has spent as little as £40,000 in making its transformation.
So what is different and how did this school transform itself?
They not only have embraced technology but have built it into the learning experience. instead of geography and history, pupils study "knowledge and understanding of the world" and instead of art and crafts, they do "creative development".
Head teacher Alison Ashworth-Taylor says, "While teaching children to operate within the present pen-and-paper examination system, we are at the same time training them for a future in which technology is going to play an ever bigger part. Quite what form that will take, no one knows. But at least our children will be ready for it."
Not every school has the knowledge or the talent to be a Redeemer, but it’s refreshing that they are not merely replacing textbooks with screens but using technology to enhance and engage the children in learning.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thomas-Rasset Gets Huge Fine
In the only file-sharing case to go to trial in the US, a jury in Minnesota has found Jammie Thomas-Rasset, guilty and ordered to her topay $1.9 million (£1.2m). Her first trial ended without a verdict.
A spokeswoman for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said the companies are willing to settle out of court for a much smaller amount. Most people targeted by the RIAA had settled for around £1,500 each. The massive damage award, which increased from $9,250 per song in the first trial to $80,000, might sounds could actually work against the RIAA and further entrench those who support file sharing.
With Thomas-Rasset and the defense team talking hard about continuing the fight and with such a huge fine it looks certain that the battle was won by the RIAA but that the war is far from over.
Companies including Sony, BMI, Universal and Warner Music say they are now concentrating on working with internet service providers to crack down on the worst offenders of file-sharing.
A spokeswoman for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said the companies are willing to settle out of court for a much smaller amount. Most people targeted by the RIAA had settled for around £1,500 each. The massive damage award, which increased from $9,250 per song in the first trial to $80,000, might sounds could actually work against the RIAA and further entrench those who support file sharing.
With Thomas-Rasset and the defense team talking hard about continuing the fight and with such a huge fine it looks certain that the battle was won by the RIAA but that the war is far from over.
Companies including Sony, BMI, Universal and Warner Music say they are now concentrating on working with internet service providers to crack down on the worst offenders of file-sharing.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
"D'oh!",
Publishers build social networks sites around, students, authors, genre, and of course teenagers. Some like Tor.com are trying to create a vertical community, in its case for Sci-Fi lovers, others such as the new ‘Pulse It’ from Simon and Schuster, just go for them young.Do they work? Well if they didn’t they would be building them would they? When you start with a base near zero then all sales look good. It is not difficult to see why Simon and Schuster shouldn’t get traction as they are; giving away one book a month to be read online for free, points for reviews and site actions, and users can win free books and other prizes. The trick is often not starting a social community but still being there and getting that ‘stickyness’ to keep them coming back. Obviously publishers also have to be able to compete with the others. The everyone needs to respond to change and get that most important thing the user gives - time. We wish them well, but wonder if it were better inside a larger social site rather than competing with other publishers and social sites.
We looked a Tor.com and were impressed that they have taken an inclusive and not exclusive position, inviting other publishers to sell and promote their own titles alongside theirs. This is a brave move indeed for a publisher and one we have long advocated and support. Is it any different to sites like Baen,com? Well that a personal call but we believe it lacks that Baen roughness and clear Sci – Fi design. However, the designer tee shirts and mugs and blogs are all interesting.However, why did HarperCollins put the Simpsons Mini Calendar and Simpsons Work Calendar 2010 on the Tor.com site – obviously not quite science fiction to most of us, or perhaps they knew something we don’t. After all Homer does work at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant!
MSN To Get Off Their Soapbox?
Microsoft launched the Soapbox video user streaming brand in September 2006, days later Google purchased YouTube. Did you know that through Soapbox MSN Video has 35 million unique users, who watch 250 million video streams each month. No – well perhaps why it was reported today in The Register that Microsoft plans to "significantly scale back" its Soapbox service.
If you are still curious as to what Soapbox gives you today then watch this Cnet video.
Speaking with Cnet, Microsoft vice president Erik Jorgensen said that Soapbox's YouTube-like user-generated video setup is just too expensive considering the state of the economy. But he didn't exactly say how Microsoft plans to cut the service's costs.
If you are still curious as to what Soapbox gives you today then watch this Cnet video.
Speaking with Cnet, Microsoft vice president Erik Jorgensen said that Soapbox's YouTube-like user-generated video setup is just too expensive considering the state of the economy. But he didn't exactly say how Microsoft plans to cut the service's costs.
Quote On The Great Book Bank Robbery
"That settlement needs to be revisited, and is being revisited....It doesn't seem right that you can get a prize for violating a large set of copyrights." Jeff Bezos on being asked about the Google Book Settlement in an interview by Steve Levy, Wired Disruptive by Design Event in New York, June 2009.
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