] It may be instructive to look at the pricing model of
] DVDs for insight into what has happened in the CD market.
] In case you were unaware, the film/TV industry uses a
] very different pricing strategy than the music biz.
]
] Studios release far less product each year then the
] labels, with major film releases numbering in the 100s
] versus 25,000 or so annual CD releases.
]
] Films have a model where they typically are released from
] the highest revenue generator down to the lowest. Another
] way to describe that progression is a dynamic pricing
] structure going from highest paying users to lowest.
] Starting with theatrical release (movie theatres), moving
] next to pay-per-view, and than premium cable (i.e, HBO).
] After the premium cable run has begun (or ends) is when
] typically DVDs get released for sale (or rental) to the
] public. Eventually, movies make their way to basic cable,
] and lastly, to broadcast TV. (Somewhere in the middle is
] overseas release, but for our purposes, that's more of a
] parallel track).
]
] DVD sales do not rely on a static pricing model. They are
] initially released at a price point consistent with
] expected demand. After a short period of time, prices
] drop, and in some cases, significantly.
] ...
] Pricing is a combination of popularity (demand) and age
] (supply). The older a release is, the more its available
] on the secondary markets. Let's look at a few recent
] animated films: Older movies, such as Shrek, Ice Age and
] Antz are all $10 today. More recent films, such as
] Finding Nemo or Shrek2 are $14.99 and $15.99
] respectively. Films fresh out of the theatres, such as
] The Incredibles, are $20.
]...
] Ironically, many of the films mentiooned here now sell
] for less than their soundtracks. Two hours (or longer) of
] a movie, plus additional audio commentary, a documentary
] of the making of the film, outtakes, special features
] etc., all cost less than a mere 45 minute audio only
] songs from the film.

Barry L. Ritholtz, a good numbers analyst, posts a draft of a DVD vs CD paper he is working one. I am interested to see where he is going with this, and how he incorporates some of the comments.

For example, DVDs are watched less -- do they represent less value? But DVDs involve the efforts of far more... etc.

Is the proposal that those involved in the record industry should look to the whole process of a record: initial investment of time and talent, then studio time, post-production, release, the tour in support, junkets -- like movie releases, and price accordingly? I suspect that given the cashflows for the artists themselves, they already do.

The Big Picture: Dynamic Pricing: DVD versus CD Strategies

] HP has suddenly become a power in the photo business.
] Strongly believing that their ink jet process is better
] then the vastly more common, and generally more
] expensive, Kodak process that currently dominates the
] personal and professional photography business HP has
] just put its money where its mouth is and purchased one
] of the leading on-line photo processing companies
] Snapfish.

What? HP makes a good move?

Technology Pundits ~ HP Buys Snapfish

] From the Garage: Lessons Learned Birthing and Building
] Web Start-ups
] I had a great time at Etech last week and want to thank
] Marc Hedlund and Tim O'Reilly for the opportunity to
] speak. I think my presentation went over well, and being
] that it was the last session of the conference, I was
] pleasantly surprised at the packed room. Several people
] asked for a copy, so here it is.

wingedpig.com: From the Garage: Lessons Learned Birthing and Building Web Start-ups

] Welcome to Google Code, Google's place for Open Source
] software.

Some fun looking releases for the Python and/or Multithreaded inclined.

Google Code

Decius wrote:

] What are people's thoughts about replacing the topics system
] in MemeStreams with a folksonomy like Del.icio.us?

I strongly support it and have been working on a message about it.

I, for one, have abandoned the "Topic" bar -- I don't look at the autogenerated topic subpages, and I no longer file appropriately. "Misc", generally. I would care more if I had my own tag-file system; putting in a bunch of free form key words is much more intuitive to the stream of memes that I've come to use on a regular basis.

Lacking them, I'm forced to consider memestreams like a Web Generation 2.5 app where its real comparables (delicious and that ilk) are Gen 3.
(Yes, I have a generational taxonomy).

RE: Folksonomy conversation

] As Caterina wrote, this isn't about just throwing
] millions of users at Flickr or bolting Flickr onto Yahoo!
] Photos. Think more deeply about it. There are many parts
] of Yahoo that will be Flickrized in the coming months.
] And with more resources available, Flickr itself will be
] able to grow like never before.

Longterm Yahoo-buy-Flickr Yahoo advocate blogs about the acquisition.

Thoughts on Flickr and Yahoo (by Jeremy Zawodny)

"It looks like your search terms were detected by the
Total Information Awareness filter..."

clippy.gif (GIF Image, 308x123 pixels)

] A man cooking in his kitchen was shot after one of his
] cats knocked his 9mm handgun onto the floor, discharging
] the weapon, Michigan State Police said.

Yahoo! News - Cat Shoots Owner

] Greetings from CeBIT 2005 in Hannover, Germany. CeBIT is by far
] the largest technology fair in the world.
]
] Some statistics on CeBIT 2005:
] - 6270 exhibitors from 70 countries
] - 27 hangar-sized halls filled with booths
] - Over 300,000 square meters of exhibition space
] - Over half-a-million visitors are expected over the next 8 days
]
] Just to jog around the exhibition area takes over an hour.

F-Secure : News from the Lab

] One in five online consumers are exposed to media created
] by other consumers that could influence their use of
] drugs and other medical products and services, according
] to a study by JupiterResearch.

Healthcare Consumers Rely on Consumer-Generated Content