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I see some things happening in this business that will separate it from music.
1.) The amount of titles available via legitimate means is substantial and growing extremely quickly.
2.) DRM, while onerous, is not quite as ridiculous as some of the early music schemes.
3.) My belief (although I have no proof) is that the average consumer sees more value in a book than a music album.
4.) Already new models of consumption exist. (e.g. Chapter by Chapter) And I suspect we'll see many more new models over the coming year.
5.) The book industry is moving much more quickly than the music business. They see ebooks more of an opportunity than as a threat. The music business was at it's peak when Napster hit....the book business has been slowly growing for years. So the music business was going to contract no matter what...the book business had already peaked in terms of growth.
I've worked at an executive level for Sony Music, Universal Music, Sony Connect (when we launched the ereader) and now run CyberRead.com
So I'm in a unique position to see the difference.
I'm not saying piracy won't be a problem...but I don't see it getting out of hand similar to what happened to music.
In fact, I expect the book business will expand...although the definition of a "book" will undoubtedly change over the coming decade.
Clint Brauer
General Manager
CyberRead.com
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