Tuesday’s Grab-Bag of Monty Python Inspired Lunacy

Here are three amusing stories that I've wanted to touch on lately.

1. Bloomberg mistakenly reports Jobs is dead

In a move that can only be called Monty Python-ish:

News Media:
Bring out your dead!
Bring out your dead!

Bloomberg:
Here's one.

News Media:
Ninepence.

Jobs:
I'm not dead.

News Media:
What?

Bloomberg:
Nothing, here's your ninepence.

Jobs:
I'm not dead!

News Media:
'Er, he says he's not dead!

Bloomberg:
Yes, he is.

Jobs:
I'm not.

News Media:
He isn't?

Bloomberg:
Well, he will be soon. He's very ill.

Jobs:
I'm getting better.

Bloomberg:
No, you're not. You'll be stone dead in a moment.

News Media:
Oh, I can't take him like that. It's against regulations.

Jobs:
I don't want to go on the cart.

And it was at this point that everyone decided he really wasn't going on the cart.

2. Google to create "Andriod Market" in an attempt to compete with some other online store thingy. Or something.

I am actually in favor of this. Well, more accurately, I'm in favor of both large online stores for downloading digital content and of increased competition for the iPhone. This is a case where I actually wish Andriod success in this venture because more competition means a better experience for us users even if it is at the expense of Apple's bottom line.

3. Music coporations, looking for ways to screw customers, run out of new ideas. Decide to search through their "Best of the 90's" playlist for clues.

The music companies are having quite a bit of difficulty coming to terms with the current state of their industry. On one hand they recognize that it is much more profitable to sell entire albums rather than single tracks, on the other hand they are desperately trying to ignore the fact that most people hate this model. However, that hasn't stopped them from removing select albums from the iTunes Store with the assumption that they will make more money by forcing people to buy albums rather than giving the choice to buy singles. And the argument of "as soon as you make 10 songs worth buying, I will gladly purchase an album" seems to have fallen on deaf ears.

But what the music companies don't seem to understand is that even if this move does earn them more money in select cases, the future is in selling what your customers want, not what you think they deserve. We are never going to return to an era of having to buy 9 pieces of filler to get the one song we actually want. As long as bit torrent (or systems of its kind) exist, the old way of doing business just won't work. Regardless of whether or not it is fair, or easy or profitable, this is the reality of the situation. And it never bodes well for an industry when the players collectivly decide to ignore reality.

Oh, and a brief aside before I end this. I've heard quite a bit about how it is better to sell one $10 album than on $0.99 single, however you never seem to hear about the cost savings from such a transaction. For instance, how much of that $10 goes towards stamping the CD, making the case, shipping it to the store, recycling unused CDs, etc.? It obviously doesn't account for 90% of the cost of the CD, however it does cost something. And that number is the one we should be comparing things to.