Why Digital Music Has Indeed Failed [VIDEO]
This video has been floating around for a week now, but I've only now gotten a chance to watch it. In this MIDEM talk, Forrester analyst Mark Mulligan explains how and why digital music has indeed failed. In the near future, I intend to chime in and evaluate his insights more closely. But for now, all I have to offer you is this fascinating lecture that Mulligan gives. Take a look:
Share on:
Does this guy only own one shirt?
So basically, after 10 years of being a central part of the over-hype of digital music as profit driver, now he gets to spend 2011 speaking on how his own strawman argument was wrong. I can’t hate, that’s just plain awesome.
I have a huge admiration for Mulligan’s talent for avoiding real work. Quite a career.
Justin, you are hilarious and dead on.
I have always made what I think is the fairly uncontentious argument that the future of music is digital. But I’ve never been a cheerleader for the digital music as some sort of bland profit driver. And I have many many blog posts, reports and press quotes I can provide by way of evidence.
As for how I’ve spent the last 10 years:
I have been warning about this slow down for three years now, so that’s 3 of the 10 out of the way. For the other 7 the first 3 or 4 were spent trying to get people just to listen to the digital argument. Then the next few years were spent highlighting that factors such as DRM, inflexible licensing, high pricing were preventing the digital space from being able to fulfill its potential.
I’ve *always* maintained the position that progress has been too slow and that demand is moving much faster than record label business models. I first made this case to senior management of a major record label back in 2000.
I don’t think I can ever be accused of hyping the digital music space. If anything I’ve lent too heavily in the other direction.
As for the shirt – the interview and this were done on the same day. Don’t know about you but I usually only wear one shirt a day 😉 And for the record, I have MANY MANY shirts. Far too many in fact.
Mark, I appreciate the clarification, sounds like I mixed you up with your employer’s reports a little too much.
When did you start with Forrester? 2007?