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‘Vinyl is more alive than ever’

The more choice and ease of access I have the less advantage I take of it

Have given this a little thought because, I think, living in a world where almost everything is available almost all of the time means you have to divorce choice from access.

Given a choice of three books, you'll very quickly pick one to read. But put yourself in the middle of the British Library and you'll be over-faced.

By the time you get to the library, you need to have made a decision about which book you want. That could be based on an area of research, something else you've read, a genre you want to explore, something new or something from way-back you want to enjoy again.

All that has really happened is that the old one-out-of-three choice in your home has gone, to be replaced by access to a vast library.

I never try to pick a book from the library, but make my choices before I get there. The great thing is, when I do get there, I know they'll have the book.

Don't let vast choice over-face you or modify the way you explore media - just enjoy the convenience...
 
An analogy might be the relative decline of the printed book. Doing an MA in Eng Lit requires many trips to the library (7 more books borrowed today). But to read scholarly articles I mostly use the JSTOR site accessed via the University website; to actually read the relevant physical journal I'd probably need to visit the British Library in person, and wait for the journal to be retrieved for me (assuming no-one else was reading it). What I'm interested in is the content pure and simple, and that's only a click of a mouse away; if the content turns out to be irrevelant or uninteresting it's no big deal. Many of my co-students don't even bother buying or borrowing the primary texts, they just download them to an iPad or similar device.
 
For sure, extellingence has been thrown in disarray by t'internet, and our generation is still evolving into it. Worry not, for our kids it will all be (already is) normal...whatever that is :D

Richard
 
An analogy might be the relative decline of the printed book. Doing an MA in Eng Lit requires many trips to the library (7 more books borrowed today). But to read scholarly articles I mostly use the JSTOR site accessed via the University website; to actually read the relevant physical journal I'd probably need to visit the British Library in person, and wait for the journal to be retrieved for me (assuming no-one else was reading it). What I'm interested in is the content pure and simple, and that's only a click of a mouse away; if the content turns out to be irrevelant or uninteresting it's no big deal. Many of my co-students don't even bother buying or borrowing the primary texts, they just download them to an iPad or similar device.

This conjours up a dystopian future where nobody owns books or music. Digital access will be strictly controlled and thoughtcrime will become impossible for the masses. Real books, along with LPs, will become subversive contraband.
 
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An analogy might be the relative decline of the printed book. Doing an MA in Eng Lit requires many trips to the library (7 more books borrowed today). But to read scholarly articles I mostly use the JSTOR site accessed via the University website; to actually read the relevant physical journal I'd probably need to visit the British Library in person, and wait for the journal to be retrieved for me (assuming no-one else was reading it). What I'm interested in is the content pure and simple, and that's only a click of a mouse away; if the content turns out to be irrevelant or uninteresting it's no big deal. Many of my co-students don't even bother buying or borrowing the primary texts, they just download them to an iPad or similar device.

It is not just ebook vs printed book, but also published vs self-published. My publisher (the largest in my field) is staring at the headlamps like a bunny ... with no sensible clue how to proceed. Even as what they call one of their best selling authors they won't publish my latest book. They have just thrown the towel in. I was lucky to be publishing in the era before the digital revolution.

Nic P
 
A lady I used to work with (Miriam bibby) in my days of dead tree publishing is doing quite ok with self published and print on demand historical bodice rippers, larger sci if writers work I know (Charlie Stross) has multiple methods and works well on subscription and micro payment models, the writing was on the wall as the stakes are so high for fanfic writers providing superior or exquisitely niche product to the franchised and canon works.

The Internet of things is about to rip apart the toy/model business model too. Basically anything that was built on the monolithic licence holder and rights ownership model cannot move fast enough to the micropayments direct to creator model.

A whole scary new world, and it's going to get even crazier in the next few years, can't stop it so enjoy the bloodbath.
 


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