The Apple Tablet

[Jim_Campbell]

Well, maybe. But I've also heard a lot of industry types saying that it's very hard to make money from music downloads - maybe that's just spin.

Depends. If you're an artist in the record label system, then you probably don't make a lot of money from downloads, because you're being buttfucked by your record label. In a lot of cases, they'll be applying the same formula for calculating royalties to your online sales as your physical ones, even though the overheads are non-existent.

If you're a record company type, then you're either a liar or clueless. I know someone who runs their own label and I have huge fondness for him, but his cluelessness about online business exasperates me to the point of wanting to shout at him!

Put it this way: Apple is one of the largest music retailers in the US, physical or online, and they have always stated at the Q&A sessions that follow their quarterly financial reports that they run the iTunes store at, or just over, breakeven because they view it as a means of driving iPod sales rather than a revenue stream in its own right.

So ... someone, somewhere is making some money. If it ain't Apple, and it ain't the artists ...

Cheers!

Jim

[Dandontdare]

[Matt Timson]

Because the content producers are:

1) Greedy

2) Idiots

Well, maybe. But I've also heard a lot of industry types saying that it's very hard to make money from music downloads - maybe that's just spin.

Personally, I think it's just spin. There's just no way that it costs the same to offer a download as it does to offer actual, printed, material.  Where are the massive overheads associated with printing and transporting your goods?  How much can it cost to run a server?  I should think that you could substantially cut the price of any digital download and still make a profit.  I think Jim's right- people are just greedy.

[Richmond Clements]

Y'know what I reckon?
Anyone unsure about digital comics should download this to see if they like them or not: http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=22822

[Matt Timson]

Y'know what I reckon?
Anyone unsure about digital comics should download this to see if they like them or not: http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=22822

WHORE!!!

[Jim_Campbell]

Smoothly done, Your Lordship.

Cheers!

Jim

[Richmond Clements]

Y'know what I reckon?
Anyone unsure about digital comics should download this to see if they like them or not: http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=22822

WHORE!!!

Damn right!

And thanks, Jim!

[Peter Wolf]

Isnt there a pie chart available anywhere that shows how revenue from download sales are divided up ?

I smell bullshit regarding record companies/multinational entertainment conglomerates complaining thats its hard to make money from download sales.In reality they are making shatloads of money from downloads and are reluctant to share the cash with the artists.

Downloads make up 98 percent of UK singles sales so how can an artist like Lady GaGa who sold 779,000 downloads of one single in the UK alone NOT make a record company money ?

How is it in any way hard to make money out of that ?

Someone has got their wires crossed or someone is lying or its both as is usual these days.

[Peter Wolf]

Now deleted.

Anyway whatever.....

I corrected a typo and ended up posting the same comment twice.

[Jim_Campbell]

Isnt there a pie chart available anywhere that shows how revenue from download sales are divided up ?

No hard numbers from Apple -- I've heard the figure of 33% to Apple bandied about by various sources. This tallies with what they take from the App Store.

So, yeah, in the Lady Gaga example you cite, at 0.99p per track, that would be £510,000 without having to press a single copy, print any artwork, or ship anything anywhere. Obviously, there are substantial marketing costs involved but these would be roughly the same for an online or a physical product.

Or, obviously, you could skip the marketing campaign entirely and just use a Facebook group to get to number one. :-)

Cheers!

Jim

[James]

There's an ad knocking about on Youtube, apparently leaked:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysW2T0kf4As

[pauljholden]

S'not the ad. It's a french magazines idea of what the ad may look like (assuming the device looked like that)


-pj

[Jim_Campbell]

S'not the ad.

The fact that Apple's legal department hasn't nuked it from orbit is pretty solid confirmation that it's not legit.

Cheers

Jim

[pauljholden]

6:00pm today, fact fans!

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/26/our-live-coverage-of-the-apple-tablet-latest-creation-event-starts-tomorrow/

-pj

[Jim_Campbell]

A couple of interesting last minute articles:

A publisher's view whilst Wired say it's all about the content, not the platform.

Via PJ, a tester claims inside info on Twitter although the fact that it's been up for eight hours without incurring the apocalyptic wrath of Apple Legal makes me dubious as to its accuracy.

Cheers!

Jim