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Google is a business, and there is a very good chance that they financially benefit from Rap Genius being restored. Other companies that suffer don't have that

by sheetjs 13y ago

Google is a business, and there is a very good chance that they financially benefit from Rap Genius being restored. Other companies that suffer don't have that financial link, and maybe the best course is for them to raise VC funds (and posture themselves so that Google stands to lose if they penalize) I agree with you in theory, but in practice it sounds like you expect google to act as if they care about things like fairness. They are a company. The bottom line is what matters. If you think it's unfair, then try to hit the bottom line by using other services and convincing your friends and family to do the same

ryanmerket 13y ago
How much revenue do you think RapGenius brings Google? Even if it was $10M/qtr that is a drop in the bucket for Google.
- jonknee 13y ago
  RapGenius brings Google $0 in revenue. RapGenius brings in $0 in revenue for anyone--it's not monetized.
  - throwawaykf03 13y ago
    Another way to look at it is: If X is a really good website in its category, and Google consistently puts X above other websites in search results for that category, the user experience on Google is better with X than without X. This will lead to more users using Google more, and contribute to all the effects that make Google money. So even if Rap Genius is not bringing revenue to Google, Google certainly can derive value from Rap Genius that contributes to revenue. However, since the effects are indirect, it's not easy (though not impossible) to put a monetary value on this relationship.
  - aaronwall 13y ago
    Another way to look at it is if Google detonates start ups from VCs they co-invest with, will their own internal venture arm get squeezed out of some deals? And if implicit or explicit risk protection (and back channeled information about potential upcoming risks) comes as a fringe benefit of direct investment, doesn't that "free insurance" allow Google Ventures to guarantee themselves more favorable investing terms?
gdrulia 13y ago
Google has a monopoly, and where are monopolies the normal rules do not apply. Google can impact internet as a whole very greatly. That's why they should care about fairness, simply remember how Microsoft was forced to provide browser choice window and were penalized for pushing IE as a default option. And even if, say, in Microsoft scenario they might benefited from using they monopoly position more than were penalized (can't for sure claim, because I don't know real numbers), it doesn't mean that companies should't not care about fairness. At the end of the day that is what competition suppose to do - force companies to think about fairness towards their customers.
walshemj 13y ago
No some one elses site takes over Rap Genus's top spot - might actually increase Google's PPC revenue if the replacement site doesn't answer the question.
nostromo 13y ago
I very much doubt Rap Genius' delisting hurt Google. RG is in a commodity industry. Lyrics are lyrics are lyrics no matter where you get them. Yes, RG is better than most other providers. However, I suspect that the number of Google users that actually care about their differentiation (like annotations) is vanishingly small.

by sheetjs 13y ago

ryanmerket 13y ago

How much revenue do you think RapGenius brings Google? Even if it was $10M/qtr that is a drop in the bucket for Google.

jonknee 13y ago
RapGenius brings Google $0 in revenue. RapGenius brings in $0 in revenue for anyone--it's not monetized.
- throwawaykf03 13y ago
  Another way to look at it is: If X is a really good website in its category, and Google consistently puts X above other websites in search results for that category, the user experience on Google is better with X than without X. This will lead to more users using Google more, and contribute to all the effects that make Google money. So even if Rap Genius is not bringing revenue to Google, Google certainly can derive value from Rap Genius that contributes to revenue. However, since the effects are indirect, it's not easy (though not impossible) to put a monetary value on this relationship.
- aaronwall 13y ago
  Another way to look at it is if Google detonates start ups from VCs they co-invest with, will their own internal venture arm get squeezed out of some deals? And if implicit or explicit risk protection (and back channeled information about potential upcoming risks) comes as a fringe benefit of direct investment, doesn't that "free insurance" allow Google Ventures to guarantee themselves more favorable investing terms?

gdrulia 13y ago

Google has a monopoly, and where are monopolies the normal rules do not apply. Google can impact internet as a whole very greatly. That's why they should care about fairness, simply remember how Microsoft was forced to provide browser choice window and were penalized for pushing IE as a default option. And even if, say, in Microsoft scenario they might benefited from using they monopoly position more than were penalized (can't for sure claim, because I don't know real numbers), it doesn't mean that companies should't not care about fairness. At the end of the day that is what competition suppose to do - force companies to think about fairness towards their customers.

walshemj 13y ago

No some one elses site takes over Rap Genus's top spot - might actually increase Google's PPC revenue if the replacement site doesn't answer the question.

nostromo 13y ago

I very much doubt Rap Genius' delisting hurt Google. RG is in a commodity industry. Lyrics are lyrics are lyrics no matter where you get them. Yes, RG is better than most other providers. However, I suspect that the number of Google users that actually care about their differentiation (like annotations) is vanishingly small.