Quote:
Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
Then you are not understanding the actual costs for the delivery system. To deliver an ebook, digital download, or even on demand movie/TV show, there is an infrastructure that has to be built, maintained, and constantly upgraded.
When I worked on the delivery system for Viacom which was 14Pb about 5 years ago with at least 2 redundant backup locations, it was a pretty penny to be spent. Not only do you spend for the hardware, but software to do conversions for multiple formats, connectivity, and some sort of rights and royalty management. One top of that, you still need specialized people who can maintain and operate that infrastructure. These people don't get paid minimum wage like those people who stock bookshelves and man cash registers. Those things cost and have tangible impact to that "deliverable" that you so want.
Take note that most often, a digital asset gets the author a 50% revenue share more often than not, whereas a physical book may only get them maxium 15%.
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I think you misunderstood my point. Perhaps I did not put it together properly.
I was stating that people are not able to see the cost of the delivery system in digital media and thus feel cheated when the prices are only marginally reduced[if at all] from that of physical media.
I am familiar with the costs associated with digital data, as I am sometimes part of the embedded cost. Most people, however, are not aware(or just do not care) that there is a cost associated with delivering the media in digital form. It is easy to just think, "I want it, therefore it is"