Quote:
Originally Posted by pwalker8
Why treat something the same, when they aren't the same? Loaning ebooks is more akin to subscription services than it is to selling ebooks. I suspect that at some point in the near future, ebooks will be much like music, i.e. many if not most will get most of their content via subscription services while a core of customers will continue to buy so they can own it.
|
An interesting comparison - our public library CD lending model hasn't been killed off by paid smartphone music services. Nor has our public library mixed DVD-lending and streaming movies-and-documentaries model gone away with Netflix here on the market. And the public library Homework Help service hasn't disappeared due to paid tutoring services proliferating. The future is mixed models, I think, and as leebase said it's going to take a lot of ongoing negotiation.