[pking36330]

The music world has already gone through all the machinations the ebook world is just now starting to go through. I think just based on the nature of the Music Business environment compared to the Book Business environment we might all agree that things happen faster in the music world than in the book world (agree? Please...I DID NOT mean this as a slight to anyone or any firm in the book publishing or distribution business, its just a generalizations and I KNOW there are exceptions).

So in the Music Business world that is 5-10 years ahead of Book Business world in regards to digital media, DRM, digital distribution, physical player devices, etc., the Music World offers some lessons for how this might shake out. When Music World went through the CD-to-Digital media conversion, did the people who still bought CDs get a free iTunes/Zune/MP3 download when they bought a CD? No. Still don't. You can buy a CD in WalMart today and stand on the checkout counter until you turn WalMart blue in the face and you still won't get a free download of the songs on the CD. If you want MP3s of your CD, you have to rip them yourself (which is considered legal for your personal use, but not filesharing).
Similarly, if you purchase an album on iTunes/Zune/AcmeDownloads, do you automatically get a free physical media copy of the same content? No. If you want that you have to compile and burn the CD yourself (again, considered legal for your own use, but not legal to burn dozens of copies and give them away or sell them).

So in the Book World, you can imagine they are watching the Music World to discover some lessons learned (we'll all agree they are late coming to logical DRM conclusions), but I don't think you can realistically expect you will gain any traction demanding a digital media version of a physical book you've purchase or a physical book version of a digital media book you purchased.

I personally would love to see it, I hope it comes to pass, but I can't make a valid business argument that would convince a company to do that. And you've got to take the emotion out of this, like it our not this is the Book Business. I think if B&N or Amazon ever got in a shootout for supremacy of market share (as in trying to sweeten their stock before being acquired by a larger firm), then you MIGHT see them offer this as the 'revolutionary change' you are looking for. But that decision will be about market share, name recognition, and acquision/merger impact, and shareholder value and NOT about the desires of a few ebook reader who feel entitled to freebies.

I'm hopeful I didn't step on toes. But my assessment is: Great idea...will not happen.