If books worked like Amazons new CD/MP3 plan....

[kennyc]

then we'd get a free ebook with the purchase of a pbook....hmmmm....

Amazon to give music CD buyers a free digital version
50,000 titles included, as largest etailer targets iTunes

Amazon.com Inc., taking aim at Apple's dominant iTunes store, on Thursday unveiled a service that it hopes will boost digital music sales and encourage more people to use its Cloud music service.

It launched Amazon AutoRip, which gives customers free digital versions of music CDs they buy from the world's largest Internet retailer.

The digital music files are automatically stored in customer libraries in remote datacenters run by Amazon, where they are available to play or download immediately through its Cloud Player service, the company said.

Amazon customers who have bought AutoRip-eligible CDs at any time since the company started selling discs in 1998 will get digital versions stored in their Cloud Player libraries for free, the company added.
....

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,2359412.story

[jgaiser]

Love them or hate them, they know how to run a successful business.

[Catlady]

It would be great to get the e-books that way, wouldn't it?

My first reaction to the Auto-Rip idea was ho-hum, but then I discovered that Amazon now has given me mp3 versions of a number of CDs I bought and gave as gifts, and therefore never ripped myself, so that was a nice bonus. On the other hand, only a small fraction of the CDs I bought over the years were included in the program.

[QuantumIguana]

I bought a bundle on Amazon where you got the Blu-Ray of Downton Abbey plus you got the ability to stream it. It was a few dollars more than just the Blu-Ray, but I thought it was worthwhile.

I think bundling paper books with e-books would be a good idea. Get people to pay a little bit more to get both.

[cghipp]

I keep reading that they'll GIVE you mp3s, but aren't they just letting you listen to the mp3s? Can you actually download the files, or do they only let you stream them?

[Fluribus]

Originally Posted by cghipp

I keep reading that they'll GIVE you mp3s, but aren't they just letting you listen to the mp3s? Can you actually download the files, or do they only let you stream them?

I've downloaded other music from the cloud player. Just like kIndle booKs (I hope I spelled that correctly).

[Lynx-lynx]

So what's the Royalties situation?

I don't get it because it seems to be such that you buy one CD and get another copy free.

Is that twice the Royalties to be received by muso's?

And if it's not twice the Royalties, then why aren't ebooks covered by a mutli format arrangement as well?

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

And if it's not twice the Royalties, then why aren't ebooks covered by a mutli format arrangement as well?

Because Amazon apparently has zero interest in having customers outside their carefully fenced-in Kindle garden and so has no incentive to offer, say, ePub along with the Kindle format(s).

You might notice that many indie authors and even publishers like All Romance EBooks (I think, I'm too lazy to check right now) do offer multi-format arrangements.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by Gudy

Because Amazon apparently has zero interest in having customers outside their carefully fenced-in Kindle garden and so has no incentive to offer, say, ePub along with the Kindle format(s).

You might notice that many indie authors and even publishers like All Romance EBooks (I think, I'm too lazy to check right now) do offer multi-format arrangements.

Hi Gudy, I don't mean 2 different ebook formats, I mean paper and e formats.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

So what's the Royalties situation?

I don't get it because it seems to be such that you buy one CD and get another copy free.

Is that twice the Royalties to be received by muso's?

My understanding of UK copyright law (it may be different in the US - fair use may come into it, we don't have fair use in the UK) is that, unless they had an agreement with the music/book publishers, they'd need to pay for two copies (one CD copy, one MP3 copy), and then the music label & the artist would simply treat it as two sales and split the proceeds from those sales however their contract dictated.

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

And if it's not twice the Royalties, then why aren't ebooks covered by a mutli format arrangement as well?

I'd speculate that Amazon have made a deal with some music labels, hence why only some CDs are covered. If I'm right, to do the same with books they'd need to make a deal with publishers, and I suspect the big publishers wouldn't be in a hurry to make such a deal.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by QuantumIguana

I think bundling paper books with e-books would be a good idea. Get people to pay a little bit more to get both.

It does happen at least in some niche stores. The OneBookShelf stores (who mainly sell RPG/wargaming books) mainly sell ebooks, but they introduced a print-on-demand program a while ago. If a book is available in ebook and paper formats, you can optionally set a price for the combined print and ebook.

[curtw]

Originally Posted by Catlady

It would be great to get the e-books that way, wouldn't it?

My first reaction to the Auto-Rip idea was ho-hum, but then I discovered that Amazon now has given me mp3 versions of a number of CDs I bought and gave as gifts, and therefore never ripped myself, so that was a nice bonus. On the other hand, only a small fraction of the CDs I bought over the years were included in the program.

This is exactly my *problem*. Physical audio CD's are typically gifted in my family. I find myself with access to a bunch of music in which I have no personal interest (Sting, Styx, Lady Gaga). Tonight, I'll check my wife's account. I bet she has the Skinny Puppy, Alice Cooper and Alejandro Escovedo.

[LovesMacs]

Originally Posted by kennyc

then we'd get a free ebook with the purchase of a pbook....hmmmm....

I suspect that brick and mortar stores would be doing a little better if this applied to them, and if the store didn't have to pay for the ebook. Not a lot better, because reading books has to compete with many other forms of entertainment these days. People who wanted to try out ereading would be more motivated to continue shopping in person.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by curtw

This is exactly my *problem*. Physical audio CD's are typically gifted in my family. I find myself with access to a bunch of music in which I have no personal interest (Sting, Styx, Lady Gaga). Tonight, I'll check my wife's account. I bet she has the Skinny Puppy, Alice Cooper and Alejandro Escovedo.

Yep, same here, I just had a bunch of music added that I really don't care/listen to.

This also makes me wonder why this is not a copyright violation. Gifts are not 'personal use' ??

[curtw]

Originally Posted by curtw

This is exactly my *problem*. Physical audio CD's are typically gifted in my family. I find myself with access to a bunch of music in which I have no personal interest (Sting, Styx, Lady Gaga). Tonight, I'll check my wife's account. I bet she has the Skinny Puppy, Alice Cooper and Alejandro Escovedo.

Update: well, it took a while for them to load everything, but a LOT of stuff has appeared in my cloud account. I can even "delete" the Abba and Carly Simon, and make a pretty cool early-80's playlist from the days I was replacing my vinyl Devo, Pretenders and The Who...