INDEX // mb Ideas on Publishing Books in Canada (and other attempts to write good)

Are you looking to purchase eBooks directly from publisher? Because publishers would like that very much. Publishers would also like Amazon to drop the DRM schtick. Or at least this publisher would.

Posted by Ben on 20 February 2009 @ 11am

Amazon’s MP3 Store is largely DRM free (not sure if it’s entirely DRM free; I don’t use it) because it was the only meaningful way to compete with iTunes, which at the time was bunged up with DRM. The iTunes Music Store was bunged up with DRM, despite Jobs wanting none of that nonsense, because it was the only way the labels would let him build it. When they saw that iTMS was making a killing, the music execs got in a room with Jobs and demanded he raise prices. Jobs laughed in their faces, and the execs decided they wanted to open up more avenues for online revenue, so they struck deals with Amazon that would allow them to sell DRM free. Amazon’s decision had nothing to do with any kind of open philosophy, and eveything to do with trying to knock Jobs down a peg in the marketplace.

Posted by August on 17 June 2009 @ 5pm