Changing of Eras?

Feb 10, 2009 | blog

Is the era of traditional broadcast media nearing an end?  You’ve heard and read that question and the supporting arguments for the last few years.  You’ve also heard the rebuttals and talking points from either side of this intriguing debate.

What I posit is that these are simply “after the fact” arguments and that this particular corner was turned a few years ago.

It’s called convergence, and it usually occurs without much fanfare at the time of the actual change.  Its usually afterward when people, companies, heck even governments, belatedly realize that they are no longer of any relative value to what they used to be.

Many new tings happening in the economy are pointing to the reality that we’re smack-dab in the middle of the re-adjustment to this new business environment.  The number of companies looking into social media, and realizing the parallels to previous challenges.  Exploring the new tools to old problems and the possibilities they offer to those willing to invest the time and money with open minds to the change that is occurring.

The recent NYTimes article $200 Laptops Break a Business Model is a great example of the awakening to this new reality.  Consumers have change – and not just any consumer.  The next big wave of consumers after the baby boomers.  The consumers that are even now shaping the future economy has they have recent politics.

The future is much different from a consumers perspective.  The tried and true models don’t always apply, especially where consumer electronics and consumable services are concerned.  The challenge is to recognize that you’re business model is hopelessly stuck in the 20th century, look at how people are consuming your product, and adjust to meet them there.

I’ve argued, like many, that the recording industry (hey they make it easy to pick on them), should drop any pretense of rights management and offer every music track at $.25 (U.S.), make them so much ridiculously easy to buy that it’s too much work to pirate.  Make them available in every format and simply realize profits through sheer volume rather than maintaining some false price-point per CD that they believe they need to hit.  Turn around and make the CD-ROM a premium product that I would seek out for something special.  Like the 1986 Bruce Springsteen album Live ‘75 to ‘85 boxed set – make it worth spending money on the extras, because whether you like it or not you can find all the tracks online.

Like many I often wonder if I even need a television any longer.  Sure I veg out in front of an HD CSI:Miami marathon like anyone else might.  However, I also am finding more and more of the media I REALLY want to watch online.  From movies to TV shows, to music, and of course books, magazines, blogs, etc…  All I really need is a big, fast, fat pipe into the Internet.  Everything else just gets in the way.

To this end, big, fast, expensive computers are overkill for the needs of the average person who just wants to consume and participate in online media.  The changes aren’t over either, but the biggest of them are now a matter of history that we can debate as we all like to do.

Photo credit: zizzybaloobah

 My apologies for the long, somewhat redundant post, but I’m working my way back to a regular blogging schedule.  This and several upcoming posts are part of that process.  Things that I’ve needed to write about for months are just now coming out.  Some are timely, some a bit behind the times, but all relevant to me.  Thanks for reading.