Just in the way bricks and mortar businesses are being forced to restructure because of Internet business, the same is happening to the RIAA.
They need to respond in like manner:
1. Everything they distribute on CD, make available as MP3 on their Web site for a much lower cost. They'll save loads by cutting out distributers, CDs etc so they could probably afford to sell albums for less than $5. Many people would pay this much for legitimate MP3s of guaranteed quality.
2. They would have a very popular Web site which in itself is worth a lot of $$$.
3. With a great MP3 site, they could also host free MP3s for minimal cost - an easy route for many artists who want to reach the public.
4. With a bit of foresight they could become THE MP3 portal.
A couple of years ago, I predicted that within 6 years, Linux would match Microsoft in the total number of users out there. 4 more years to go, and it's looking like I might not be too far off track.
The difference is, not every user will be paying for the software. How many copies of Linux do you think a company that wants to run it on 500 machines? 1, 5, maybe 10?
Even if the number of Linux users matches that of Windows, copies purchased will be an order of magnitude less - and divided between the different distributions.
While the internet should be an international medium of communications, in reality it is a US means of communications and is directly controlled under US laws.
The Internet is only a US means of communications in the US. The world is a little bigger than the US. If Bidder's Edge weren't a US company there wouldn't be much eBay could do about it.
Slashdot Mirror
Really? And how do you know what color people are on the Net?
How many people on Slashdot aren't male caucasians?
They need to respond in like manner:
1. Everything they distribute on CD, make available as MP3 on their Web site for a much lower cost. They'll save loads by cutting out distributers, CDs etc so they could probably afford to sell albums for less than $5. Many people would pay this much for legitimate MP3s of guaranteed quality.
2. They would have a very popular Web site which in itself is worth a lot of $$$.
3. With a great MP3 site, they could also host free MP3s for minimal cost - an easy route for many artists who want to reach the public.
4. With a bit of foresight they could become THE MP3 portal.
The difference is, not every user will be paying for the software. How many copies of Linux do you think a company that wants to run it on 500 machines? 1, 5, maybe 10?
Even if the number of Linux users matches that of Windows, copies purchased will be an order of magnitude less - and divided between the different distributions.
The Internet is only a US means of communications in the US. The world is a little bigger than the US. If Bidder's Edge weren't a US company there wouldn't be much eBay could do about it.