Simply, music was digitized and distributed via the internet long before digital books, which have been around a long time, and their "threat" has been looming for well over a decade; today, however, ebooks are finally maturing to a point where their accessibility and consumption is now underway well beyond the outliers who are quick to adopt new technology.
I have thus been paying attention to the music industry, particularly to the physical music retail locations I encounter in my travels, eager to try to learn as much as I can, so as to be prepared for dealing with similar changes that will affect bricks and mortar bookstores.
Yesterday, however, I was shocked when I approached HMV (a popular music retail chain) at Limeridge Mall in Hamilton.
I had to pause at the front entrance and pull out my camera, because I simply could NOT believe my eyes; this bizarre and terrible change was visible even as I approached from well over 150 feet away. But as I neared, it became clearer that I was not seeing things. I could barely contain my horror as I pulled out my phone to snap a quick picture.
Is THIS what booksellers have to look forward to?
OMG, if booksellers aren't careful and don't learn from what happened to the music industry . . .
. . . in the very near future, we might just all be selling BOOKS in our stores.
I sincerely hope we're up to this challenge.
(* Yes, this blog post was written with tongue firmly planted in cheek. And yes, I felt I HAD to state this in case anybody reading it thinks I have deluded myself into a state of complacency)
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