Rich Gordon at Poynter.org poses this question and tells readers than an iTunes for news already exists – the Amazon Kindle. regulars here will know that I have followed the release and growth of use of the Kindle with great interest. While not available in Australia – due to the complexity of telco coverage here – in the US and the UK it is generating considerable interest as a book and newspaper reader.
From a newsagents perspective, the Kindle cuts us out. We can’t even sell subscriptions for a small clip.
The supply chain between publisher and consumer has been turned on its ear. It started with music, migrated to film and now is impacting print. This disruption to our traditional business model is the best opportunity we newsagents have had for decades to reinvent ourselves.
Online is the future of all media, most people want things NOW and do not want to wait for it to be printed. Take movies and music, why buy a DVD or CD when they can be burned for little or no cost. My staff had a copy of the new batman movie the day after the american premier from the internet. Instead of whinging we should be looking at ways to capitalise on this. My question to the ANF or even ezipass or epay is why do we still not have itunes vouchers for sale when the other retailers do ie officeworks dick smiths, we are losing out. They may be crap margins but a small amount is better then no amount and it gets the next generation into the habit of visiting newsagents.
i have requested itune recharge with no reply too. it is important to sell itune in newsagency.
Luke,
The vast majority of transacions for itunes are done online. I believe most itunes vouchers sold over the counter are purchased as gifts by older generations, for younger generations.
Mark,
Your right – now is the best opportunity for newsagents to reinvent.
Im confident we’ll see two schools of though play out in the industry. One where newsagents stick their heads in the sand and ignore the changes happening around them. And another where newsagents embrace dramatic change and redefine what a newsagent is (if they even call themselves newsagents anymore). One lot will wither and die, the other will succeed and prosper. We are already seeing such division in the industry and the gap only continues to widen.
Hi Jarrod, a lot of young kids come into my store that are not allowed credit cards by parents and want itunes cards so they can control their spend online, and yes a great deal of grandparents want cards for gifts but this is my point, why are newsagents still unable to sell these cards but other retailers can? Who has dropped the ball because it is another example of the newsagent industry driving customers into other channels when they should still be coming in here.