From: Kibbles & Bytes #450, Small Dog Electronics

Control and Instant Gratification

As Don has mentioned in previous articles, Apple's music business has  
grown exponentially over the past year. I believe that the success of  
the iTunes Music Store is based on control and instant gratification.

Before the Internet was a part of my life, if I came across a  
question such as "What was the name of the actor who played the fat  
guy in 'The Maltese Falcon?'" I would have to wrack my brain for an  
answer and then either give up or try to find the answer some other  
way. Now, I'm instantly gratified by just looking it up. The same is  
true for solving arguments, like "No, that's not who it was. It was  
the same guy who was in Planet X." Now arguments only last as long as  
the search takes.

The Internet has taught us all not to wait for anything. This is true  
for music, software, and news and will be true for TV, movies, video,  
and everything that we might need to know now. We will no longer  
wait. Every industry will need to find a way to adapt, because once  
one company has a breakout moment where there is no longer a wait,  
consumers will jump on their bandwagon. Certainly the entertainment  
industry will have to adapt, as it seems pretty clear that people  
want control and instant gratification.

More TV media companies have added content to the iTunes Music Store:  
Comedy Central, MTV, and Nickelodeon. I'm waiting for the brave  
company that releases something on iTunes before it actually airs.  
That's when we will have made a turn away from our 1950s TV heritage.

I found an article on a new site that I added to my RSS reader,  
PodGuide.tv, that the entertainment industry is making $1.44 per  
$1.99 download from the iTunes Music Store. This is better margin  
than they get from DVD sales and ad sales (supposedly). Perhaps  
profits alone will get them to move to a different distribution model.