GUEST POST: Thomas Shafer (aka, the Hubster)

My Hubster is one all-around-very-cool-super-handsome-awfully-sweet-terribly-smart guy.  When I told him I was lining up guest posts to help me cover the blog during the first few months of Little Miss Took’s life, he quickly piped up, saying,

“I can help you with that!”

And so, my partner in crime has become my partner in blogging.

The Hubster works in a unique field – he specializes in (among other techie things) high-end two-channel audio.  Really cool stuff that will literally change the way you listen.  I feel like I’ve re-discovered my ears because of what he chose to do with his life.

Because of his profession, he’s had a front row seat to much of what happened when the musical world went digital, and he’s got some interesting insight to the change the literary world is undergoing – the digitalization of books.

Read on for his thoughts and opinions!

oOo

I’ve seen music media go through a certain kind of life cycle.  Back in the ’60s and ’70s, the only choice was gramophone records.  Then, round about the late ’80s, CDs came along and most everyone dove head first into the wonderful world of digital playback.  

What is amazing to me is that nowadays, it seems people want both!  

Digital music is still the medium of choice for most people, BUT a lot of folks are remembering the value of good ‘ol records.  I hear folks say..

‘I love the convenience of my iPod, but really enjoy the feel of a record in my hand’.

If you are one of us that agrees that Music Matters, I bet you would probably agree with that statement…I know I sure do.

So here is the observation.

It seems that books are about to go through the same cycle.  Just as little as a couple of years ago, if you wanted a book, your only option was to get it on paper.  But now, e-readers are literally on the verge of changing this to where you might not ever read your favorite new book on paper.

Do you think we can cut to the chase here?  Is it possible that book publishers could learn from music media’s life cycle and avoid the 10-30 year experiment it went thru to discover that people want both analog and digital?  I can just hear it now…

‘I love the convenience of my e-reader, but really enjoy the feel of a book in my hand’.  

Here is what I suggest.

Book publishers, with every new book being published, put it out there in BOTH ANALOG AND DIGITAL.  Put a hard-bound book on the shelf with a digital copy of it inside the front cover!

Music labels…with every new album you are going to produce, put it out there in BOTH ANALOG AND DIGITAL.  Put a vinyl record on the shelf with a digital copy of it inside the cover!

This is what the consumer wants!

oOo

I think he makes a great point.   It’s one of my very favorite things, to open up a fresh vinyl album – esp. when a digital copy came along with it.  After all, a turntable in my car just isn’t practical.  🙂  For me, it’s the same with books.  Personally, I would LOVE to be able to buy my books with a digital copy tucked inside.  I love the convenience of an e-reader, but nothing really compares to snuggling up on the couch with the weight of a book in my hands, and the smell of paper and ink in my nose.  People are analog beings, and we’re always going to be drawn to analog things, no matter how convenient digital might be.

What are your thoughts, opinions?  Let ’em fly!

Advertisement