I think most of this discussion is pretty laughable. Its pretty easy to see what the issue is for the labels. Before digital distribution if there was a song you heard on the radio and really wanted to own, you could either shell out $4-$5 for a CD single or pick up a whole CD for around $12. Now if I want to buy a song I like, I can just hop over to (insert favorite online distributor here) and buy just THAT ONE SONG for $1 or less. No $12 album sale, no over priced single sale, no inflated profit margin. Just the $1. That is the issue. You can't make much money on the pop tart of the day selling $1 singles.
Don't forget the manufacture of the entire hybrid propulsion system, not just the batteries. There have been quite a few "total environmental impact" studies on automobiles that suggest the actual operation of a vehicle is responsible for roughly half or less (depending on what's being measured) of vehicle's total impact on the environment (see here for an example: http://www.ilea.org/lcas/macleanlave1998.html). Considering some of the highly manufacturing intensive (large electric motors, batteries, etc) included in hybrid vehicles compared to a standard internal combustion engine, I'm not sure who would win out. Sure, if you compare a Prius vs. a Suburban I'm sure the hybrid would win hands down, but what about a hybrid vs non-hybrid Accord? Or a Prius vs. any number of the highly efficienct diesels that are sold everyday in Europe? Maybe hybrids aren't so green after all.
I for one, am getting pretty tired of everyone praising Toyota as the be-all, end-all green auto manufacturer. For a company so green, they sure have spent a lot of money in the last decade trying to build more large, fuel thirsty trucks for the American market. Not to mention, their fullsize pickups and SUV's don't exactly take top honors for fuel economy compared to domestic vehicles either. (Check the fuel economy comparator at Edmunds.com - http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm)
Just my $.02
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OK, let me rephrase, you don't make nearly as much money on the pop tart of the day selling $1 singles as you would selling $5 singles and $15 albums.
I think most of this discussion is pretty laughable. Its pretty easy to see what the issue is for the labels. Before digital distribution if there was a song you heard on the radio and really wanted to own, you could either shell out $4-$5 for a CD single or pick up a whole CD for around $12. Now if I want to buy a song I like, I can just hop over to (insert favorite online distributor here) and buy just THAT ONE SONG for $1 or less. No $12 album sale, no over priced single sale, no inflated profit margin. Just the $1. That is the issue. You can't make much money on the pop tart of the day selling $1 singles.
Don't forget the manufacture of the entire hybrid propulsion system, not just the batteries. There have been quite a few "total environmental impact" studies on automobiles that suggest the actual operation of a vehicle is responsible for roughly half or less (depending on what's being measured) of vehicle's total impact on the environment (see here for an example: http://www.ilea.org/lcas/macleanlave1998.html). Considering some of the highly manufacturing intensive (large electric motors, batteries, etc) included in hybrid vehicles compared to a standard internal combustion engine, I'm not sure who would win out. Sure, if you compare a Prius vs. a Suburban I'm sure the hybrid would win hands down, but what about a hybrid vs non-hybrid Accord? Or a Prius vs. any number of the highly efficienct diesels that are sold everyday in Europe? Maybe hybrids aren't so green after all. I for one, am getting pretty tired of everyone praising Toyota as the be-all, end-all green auto manufacturer. For a company so green, they sure have spent a lot of money in the last decade trying to build more large, fuel thirsty trucks for the American market. Not to mention, their fullsize pickups and SUV's don't exactly take top honors for fuel economy compared to domestic vehicles either. (Check the fuel economy comparator at Edmunds.com - http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm) Just my $.02