BETTER THAN SEX
The music revolution is here. “ ‘MP3’ — the most commonly used format for downloading music from the Internet — has now overtaken ‘sex’ as the most frequently searched term online.” – The Times (UK)
Search Results for: downloading
E-BOOKS: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
Is the electronic book really going to democratize publishing, as its proponents hope? Or simply flood the market with content, without a filter for quality or a universal format for downloading and reading? “Last week’s e-Book World Conference showed an industry riven by as much schizophrenia as the presidential elections. For now, anyway, the e-book … Continue reading “E-BOOKS: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS”
HORRORS – KING DOUBLES COST
Stephen King said if 75 percent of those downloading chapters of his cyber-novel didn’t pay $1 a chapter he would stop offering it. So far fans are paying. But now King has doubled the price of a chapter to $2. – Wired
WHY VIRTUAL MUSEUMS DISAPPOINT
Even as London’s Tate and New York’s Museum of Modern Art get set to launch ambitious virtual museums, a big question still remains: “Why is the Virtual Museum so boring? And it is. The cyber gallery is nearly always dense, confusing, difficult to navigate, devoid of passion and, worse, of intellect. Not only are these … Continue reading “WHY VIRTUAL MUSEUMS DISAPPOINT”
BOOTLEGGED BOOKS
While Napster is driving the music industry crazy, bootleggers have been making complete texts of books available for downloading. Is this a threat to publishing? – Wired
A NOVEL IDEA
How worried does the audio-book business (a $2 billion-a-year industry) need to be about the recent proliferation of downloadable audio books on Napster-like sites? “The question really is whether there is a demand for audio books in the MP3 format. If there is, publishing would be well advised to figure out a legal – and … Continue reading “A NOVEL IDEA”
PROFIT MOTIVE
Since the internet is rapidly transforming the music industry, and some estimates have us downloading our music rather than buying CDs by the year 2010, how will musicians continue to get paid for their songs? “Currently, there are four different ways: when listeners pay to download songs; subscription-only sites; advertising revenue from running banner ads; … Continue reading “PROFIT MOTIVE”
THE NUMBERS ARE IN
College students are downloading music from the internet rather than buying it. A new study shows that “sales of recorded music near college campuses declined by 4 percent between the first three months of 1998 and the same period this year. Sales at all stores went up 12 percent during the same time. “This demonstrates the … Continue reading “THE NUMBERS ARE IN”
THE REAL MUSIC VILLAINS
The FTC estimates consumers may have paid as much as $480 million more than they should have for CDs the last three years because of what is known as the Minimum Advertised Price program. Last fall, compact disc prices hit an all-time high of $18.98. Yet artists usually make less than $2 for every CD … Continue reading “THE REAL MUSIC VILLAINS”
LOOKING OUT FROM THE INSIDE
Last week Napster capitulated to heavy-metallers Metallica by yanking the accounts of its users accused of downloading Metallica music illegally. But if the outsider music downloader gives up too much, it’ll lose its rebel outsider status – and its fans. – Wired