Disney continues to invest in the future by buying part of MLBAM, while Comcast and Verizon settle into their roles as utilities. Plus, why Spotify’s antitrust complaints don’t make much sense, even if Apple isn’t being very fair.
Nest and Podcasting Follow-up, Box Earnings, Microsoft’s Cloud Challenge
Follow-up on Nest and Podcasting, then why Box’s numbers are a bit more worrisome than the company is letting on. Plus, a must-read article on Microsoft.
The Future of Podcasting
Podcasting is stuck between the open model of the past and the push for monetization in the future. Might there be a third way that actually benefits publishers?
Prince, Bowie, and Beyoncé; Google’s Margin Squeeze; Microsoft’s Miss
Prince and David Bowie both understood the Internet, but took drastically different approaches. Then, Google’s business is fine, but it has almost certainly peaked, and the company could learn something from Microsoft about managing expectations.
Kanye West and Tidal, The Problem with Exclusivity, Pandora for Sale?
Kanye West says his new album will be available exclusively on Tidal, which doesn’t make sense for consumers or for West as either a businessman or an artist. Then, Pandora is yet another advertising-based business to feel the heat, and it’s exacerbated by backwards-looking labels
Apple’s Executive Shuffle, Adele’s Concert Tickets
Significant changes were announced at Apple yesterday, particularly in marketing. Then, what is so bad about ticket brokers?
Craig Federighi on Swift, Taylor Swift’s 1989 on Apple Music
John Gruber’s interview with Craig Federighi is an excellent opportunity to explore exactly why Swift is such a big deal. Then, Taylor Swift has an exclusive with Apple Music for the video of her 1989 concert.
Adele Won’t Stream 25, Windowing Versus Piracy
Adele won’t stream her new album, and I think that makes a ton of sense. Monetizing IP might be hard, but I don’t think it’s necessarily hostile to your fans. Plus, what really ended piracy and what will be the biggest conflict in IP-related industries in the future.
Grantland and the (Surprising) Future of Publishing
ESPN’s decision to close Grantland seems to be more evidence that there is no future outside of massive scale or one-man operations. Bill Simmons’ recent successes, though, suggest that the answer could be the exact opposite.
Amazon’s Transformation, The Apple Music Backlash
Amazon turned a surprising profit: was it on purpose? More importantly, what does it say about the fundamental nature of Amazon as a company and as an investment? Plus, why the Apple Music backlash shouldn’t be a surprise, and a survey about meet-ups for this summer.