3 ms·

I've been saying it for a while: the publishing industry right now is where the music industry was ~3 years ago. The cycle is going to be exactly the same. At

by acabal 15y ago

I've been saying it for a while: the publishing industry right now is where the music industry was ~3 years ago. The cycle is going to be exactly the same. At one point big music figured out that removing DRM let them sell more songs, and they finally dropped it. It looks like publishers are starting to realize the same thing. About time, too--I have an ereader that I like to use but I refuse to buy DRM ebooks on principle, and the selection of unread Gutenberg books is growing rather slim :) Eventually publishers will also bring down the prices of their books ($10-$15 for an ebook? Really?) and discover that they can bring in even more profit. But that discovery is a year or two down the line still. Thanks Charlie for giving them an eloquent and firm nudge in the right direction!

cydonian_monk 15y ago
Agreed. I don't have quite the qualms regarding DRM you do (most things I only read once so it's a tad moot), but do despise it and avoid it when possible. When it's gone I'll buy considerably more ebooks. I was reviewing my epubs/ebooks a while ago to see which had breakable DRM (for one reason or another...). I discovered that of my 30 or so ebooks, only Steven Levy's "Hackers" wasn't DRM'd. Rather ironic, and quite a welcome discovery. On another note, I've bought two of Charlie's books in electronic format recently... perhaps I should've waited? ;)
yuhong 15y ago
So what led MPAA to create and lobby for SOPA?
- cstross 15y ago
  MPAA = Motion Picture Association of America. (Films, in other words.) RIAA = Recording Industry Association of America. (Music.) There's no equivalent that I know of for publishers. These are all separate industries and organizations, not some kind of multi-headed hydra that acts and thinks in unison. So, in this context, your question makes no sense.
  - yuhong 15y ago
    Referring to this: "I've been saying it for a while: the publishing industry right now is where the music industry was ~3 years ago. The cycle is going to be exactly the same. At one point big music figured out that removing DRM let them sell more songs, and they finally dropped it. It looks like publishers are starting to realize the same thing. "
- lmm 15y ago
  The realization that while DRM doesn't help them, being able to rapidly take down pirate files on the internet does?

by acabal 15y ago

cydonian_monk 15y ago

Agreed. I don't have quite the qualms regarding DRM you do (most things I only read once so it's a tad moot), but do despise it and avoid it when possible. When it's gone I'll buy considerably more ebooks. I was reviewing my epubs/ebooks a while ago to see which had breakable DRM (for one reason or another...). I discovered that of my 30 or so ebooks, only Steven Levy's "Hackers" wasn't DRM'd. Rather ironic, and quite a welcome discovery. On another note, I've bought two of Charlie's books in electronic format recently... perhaps I should've waited? ;)

yuhong 15y ago

So what led MPAA to create and lobby for SOPA?

cstross 15y ago
MPAA = Motion Picture Association of America. (Films, in other words.) RIAA = Recording Industry Association of America. (Music.) There's no equivalent that I know of for publishers. These are all separate industries and organizations, not some kind of multi-headed hydra that acts and thinks in unison. So, in this context, your question makes no sense.
- yuhong 15y ago
  Referring to this: "I've been saying it for a while: the publishing industry right now is where the music industry was ~3 years ago. The cycle is going to be exactly the same. At one point big music figured out that removing DRM let them sell more songs, and they finally dropped it. It looks like publishers are starting to realize the same thing. "
lmm 15y ago
The realization that while DRM doesn't help them, being able to rapidly take down pirate files on the internet does?