internet and middlemen
When I began to write about media convergence – early in the 20th century it feels – there were several buzz phrases around predicting developments that still have not come true. Invariably showing that almost everyone will overestimate what is going to change in the short term, while simultaneously underestimating the more fundamental changes in the long run.
Content is king.
Oh, sure. It probably is. But, the real debates still evolve around infrastructures, hardly ever about what they will be used for. UMTS, GPRS, EDGE, fibre to the home, digital video broadcasting [terrestrial]. Voice over IP. Single play, double play, triple play. Blah.
New economy
Yeah, right.
the end of the middleman.
This was long before the record industries began a crusade to save their income, and started to sue their best customers, because a couple of them may have allegedly shared some music online.
Still, with weblogs getting recognized, and paid downloads overtaking the sale of cd singles for the first time, the middlemen may indeed have begun to feel a small but permanent itch.
Or not?
Read Richard Curtis’ fascinating ideas about publishing as an industry. [part 2]
[x]#1004 fan donderdag 13 januari 2005 @ 17:19:52
