I don’t know if I’m getting your logic here David. I totally agree the web and digital distribution have directly impacted music, print, television, etc. but I don’t know if I’m understanding it as a factor an auto plant closing. Oil prices (which you do mention,) a U.S. recession, a strong Canadian dollar (which hurts the case for keeping manufacturing jobs in Canada) and maybe to some extent people rejecting big trucks due to the growing green movement are the culprits here, aren’t they?

Hummmm I wonder if GM is regreting taking their electric cars off the market now?

my thought is that we need to be forward thinking. to look outside our comfort zone. the change the web brings isnt just to media. it changes all businesses because it changes the way business will have to interact with the public. 10 years ago the music business could have looked at the web as an incredible opportunity instead of ignoring it. there has been a revolution in the way we organize, create and consume information. if you ignore the web now, operate like its business as usual. 10 years from now you shouldnt be surprised if its too late and you have been left out.
GM could have been visionary. i guess my point is we all can.

The more I read the more questions I find. Everyone wants to know how the web is effecting their business and looking for solutions. Problem is there are far more questions than answers and of those answers everyone is running off in different directions.

Take the music industry as an example. We hear everything from the ISP levy, web based artist-friendly labels (e.g.: http://www.magnatune.com/info/plan) to music as experience ventures (e.g.: http://www.missionmetallica.com) vying to be the next solution.

More artists are doing their own thing or worse, trying everything at once leaving the fans confused. We see the large pan with a thousand holes, we’re willing to pull, but are still waiting to be told which hole to line up at. Part of the reason fans are willing to cheat the old system is because artists told us it wasn’t working with/for them to begin with. I think this is a very rare opportunity granted to the artists to tell the fans how they want to do it, the fans want to follow. However, for this to ever work in the artists favour, consensus is required. So in the spirit of questioning; what would it take for the artists to all agree on one distribution/monetization method? It’s not really about what the fans want it’s about what you’re willing to give us and how.

Yes the medium has changed, but the basic rules of consumerism still stand. In all industries, the consumer still needs to be told what they want or at the very least how you want to give it to them. Play is good for developing creativity but too much is bad for the bottom line.