"...figuring out how [Hollywood] can remain relevant."
I'm deeply puzzled by the word remain. My family and I get better and more diverse films from around the world via Netflix. Hollywood hasn't been relevant to us for a long (several years) time.
This isn't about converting the entire academic publishing industry to open access overnight, it's about keeping up the pressure to move there sooner rather than later.
Sony made an awful lot of enemies by attempting to rootkit people's systems. I've sworn an oath NEVER to buy anything from Sony unless I cannot avoid it. Even then, since most of the movies they bring out are crap, I can pretty much avoid giving them money by watching the netflix DVD, if I'm interested at all. eBooks from Sony? [bwahahahahahahaha]
B&N isn't doing all that well, either. The website has a crappy search engine. You MUST buy eBooks one at a time (no shopping cart), and the eBooks are DRM-infested, just like Amazon.
The real irony of B&N is they *bought* Fictionwise, which was pretty much doing everything right. 1. shopping cart 2. good search engine 3. DRM-free where they were allowed to be. 4. Rebated discounts on new books which were store credits and could be used for *gasp* buying more books. 5. The ability to subscribe to notifications of new books by favorite authors, instead of spewing endless crap about the latest best-sellers.
B&N learned NOTHING from the people they bought, presumably for their expertise and experience.
B&N is better, but not ENOUGH better to compete. They're still kowtowing to the brick-and-mortar crowd.
Wheaton hits the railroad spike on the head right there.
Baen Books did that in 1999-2000 with Webscriptions. It got me back into reading after a several-year hiatus by making it easy and convenient to read my way, on my Palm and now my iPhone. No DRM, very reasonable prices, and good stuff.
I discovered something after ten years of Baen and Fictionwise when the Great Amazon-Publisher War broke out and it got a lot harder to get my "fix" for non-Baen publishers. I discovered I didn't really *care* whether I got non-Baen stuff from Tortuga and Port Royal.
But I would die in my tracks before taking one sou from Baen's pockets.
Not a bad way to feel about my pusher, if you ask me.
Back in 1991, Comcast offered me a "must-have all five channels" bundle that included the Sci-fi Channel, the only channel I wanted. Their refusal to provide that channel only caused me to cancel my cable. That, in turn, cured my TV addiction.
The (new)(official) electronic editions are years late and slap-in-the-face-with-DRM encumbered.
I came late to the Harry Potter series, and found the first three books already available on the net. When the fourth book came out on the net, it took a month after its hardcover had appeared. The fifth book took a week. The sixth book took one day. The final book was available after it was released in the UK and before the bookstores opened in New York to sell it.
That last book will be celebrating its fifth birthday in four months and they're just getting around to offering it, grossly overpriced, in electronic form? To quote a better writer than Rowling: "What fools these mortals be!"
If they didn't want the books pirated, why did they do so much to encourage it by refusing to release electronic copies?
On the post: Jimmy Wales Says Irrelevance, Not Piracy, Will Doom Hollywood
Run this phrase by me again, please.
I'm deeply puzzled by the word remain. My family and I get better and more diverse films from around the world via Netflix. Hollywood hasn't been relevant to us for a long (several years) time.
On the post: Author Discovers Assassin's Creed Uses Same Cliche'd SciFi Trope As His Book... Sues For Infringement
Re: Re: zing!
On the post: Open Access And The Art Of Contract Hacking
Building a Beach
On the post: Did The Publisher's Own Insistence On DRM Inevitably Lead To The Antitrust Lawsuit Against Them?
Re: Two major players?
B&N isn't doing all that well, either. The website has a crappy search engine. You MUST buy eBooks one at a time (no shopping cart), and the eBooks are DRM-infested, just like Amazon.
The real irony of B&N is they *bought* Fictionwise, which was pretty much doing everything right. 1. shopping cart 2. good search engine 3. DRM-free where they were allowed to be. 4. Rebated discounts on new books which were store credits and could be used for *gasp* buying more books. 5. The ability to subscribe to notifications of new books by favorite authors, instead of spewing endless crap about the latest best-sellers.
B&N learned NOTHING from the people they bought, presumably for their expertise and experience.
B&N is better, but not ENOUGH better to compete. They're still kowtowing to the brick-and-mortar crowd.
On the post: US Judge Forbids Motorola From Using German Injunction Against Microsoft
What? Greedy corporatists RESPECT the law?
[LOL]**100
On the post: Breaking: U.S. Sues Apple, Publishers Over eBook Price-Fixing
The ONLY defense that might work for Apple.
On the post: Arizona Politicians Scramble To Adjust Internet Censorship Bill After The Internet Mocks Them For Being Clueless
Three Stages of Political Thinking
2. To Colleagues: "We'll find out what's in the bill after we've passed it."
3. To Public: "We certainly didn't intend the bill to be used for that!"
On the post: Wilco Continues To Get The Internet
Invested In Your Supplier's Success
Baen Books did that in 1999-2000 with Webscriptions. It got me back into reading after a several-year hiatus by making it easy and convenient to read my way, on my Palm and now my iPhone. No DRM, very reasonable prices, and good stuff.
I discovered something after ten years of Baen and Fictionwise when the Great Amazon-Publisher War broke out and it got a lot harder to get my "fix" for non-Baen publishers. I discovered I didn't really *care* whether I got non-Baen stuff from Tortuga and Port Royal.
But I would die in my tracks before taking one sou from Baen's pockets.
Not a bad way to feel about my pusher, if you ask me.
On the post: Appeals Court: Bundling Cable Channels Together Isn't Anticompetitive
I'm grateful for bundles.
Thank you, Comcast!
On the post: Bohemian Rhapsody Video Taken Down Again, This Time By The Drunk Guy Himself
Cue Streisand Effect in 3 ... 2...
I wish the man a happy game of "Whack-a-Mole."
On the post: Harry Potter And The Missing Middlemen: Where The Pottermore Store Goes Wrong
Re: Re: But ... but ... but ... piracy!
Two KILLER reasons to buy.
On the post: Harry Potter And The Missing Middlemen: Where The Pottermore Store Goes Wrong
But ... but ... but ... piracy!
I came late to the Harry Potter series, and found the first three books already available on the net. When the fourth book came out on the net, it took a month after its hardcover had appeared. The fifth book took a week. The sixth book took one day. The final book was available after it was released in the UK and before the bookstores opened in New York to sell it.
That last book will be celebrating its fifth birthday in four months and they're just getting around to offering it, grossly overpriced, in electronic form? To quote a better writer than Rowling: "What fools these mortals be!"
If they didn't want the books pirated, why did they do so much to encourage it by refusing to release electronic copies?
On the post: UFC Makes The Awful Decision To Sue Some Of Its Biggest Fans
Re: Re: UFC = Human Dog Fighting?
On the post: UFC Makes The Awful Decision To Sue Some Of Its Biggest Fans
The New, New, New Business Model
2. Sue them.
3. Profit! [walks off laughing hysterically]
On the post: Parent Claims 'Ender's Game' Is Pornographic; Teacher Who Read It To Students Put On Temporary Leave
To Paraphrase the Teacher
On the post: Just Because Companies Can Design Around Patents Doesn't Mean There's No Impact For Consumers
Noticing an absence of something is very difficult.
"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."
"The dog did nothing in the night-time."
"That was the curious incident," remarked Sherlock Holmes.
On the post: Indian Court Orders 104 Sites Censored Based On The Say So Of The Indian Music Industry
How to Negotiate a Deal on a Friendly Basis
1. Raze the target to the ground.
2. Sow radioactive salt on the ruins.
3. Negotiate.
On the post: UK Pub 'The Hobbit' Offered License In Attempt To Stem PR Disaster
Nuke from orbit first, offer a license later after you get caught.
On the post: Does Anyone Who Develops New Products In Hollywood Ask 'Would I Ever Actually Use This?'
Re: Re: Re:
Could there be no crasser admission of what the studios want? control
When I want to be controlled I'll tell the studios, preferably with an extended middle finger.
On the post: Does Anyone Who Develops New Products In Hollywood Ask 'Would I Ever Actually Use This?'
Re:
But ... but ... brick and mortar!
Next >>