Wednesday News: Kobo rescues Blinkbox, how to eliminate file-sharing, Chipotle’s new author campaign, and the Rescued Film Project
Publishing NewsAuthor Promotion / Blinkbox / digital books / file-sharing / Film / History / Kobo / music industry / piracy / World War II3 Comments
Kobo Steps in at the Eleventh Hour, Will be Taking Over Blinkbox Books Customer Lists – Blnkbox, the UK digital download business, has been in the process of trying to offload both the video and book download services since last year. While the video portion was successfully transferred, it looked like the book service was going to die after discussions with Waterstones broke down. But now Kobo has agreed to take over Blinkbox Books, much as it did for Sony. It’s an interesting and maybe even efficient way for Kobo to broaden their customer base, but I don’t know how many of these new customers adapt well to Kobo and how many of them turn to another platform or service.
Customers who have bought ebooks with blinkbox Books will be moving to Kobo and we’ll be contacting them in 2-3 weeks. If you have not bought any ebooks with us, then we recommend you register with Kobo before we close the business on 28th February 2015. –The Digital Reader
Recording Industry Has ‘Virtually Eliminated Illegal File-Sharing’ In Norway — By Offering Better Products – Now here’s a surprise (not). A recent nationwide survey found that more than 95% of Norwegians under the age of 30 do not engage in illegal file sharing to acquire music. So what has changed? In the words of Marte Thorsby, head of Norway’s International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), it’s pretty straightforward:
“We are now offering services that are both better and more user-friendly than illegal platforms… In [the past] five years, we have virtually eliminated illegal file-sharing in the music industry.” –Techdirt
CULTIVATING THOUGHT Author Series – You may remember this from last year — Chipotle’s ‘thought campaign’ using the work of different writers on their cups and bags as a way of engaging their customers in some intellectual sustenance with their burritos. Apparently the experiment was popular enough to repeat, this time with writers like Amy Tan, Barbara Kingslover, Augusten Burroughs, and Neil Gaiman, among others. These so-called “thought leaders” have mini-essays printed on Chipotle’s food and drink containers, and the customer is supposed to engage with the ideas. But I also have to wonder how much, if any, the writers benefits from this deal, and whether they’re paying or being paid for this unique promotional strategy.
We’re hoping this will allow people to connect with the musings of these writers with whom they may or may not be familiar and create a moment of analog pause in a digital world, provoking introspection or inspiration, and maybe a little laughter. –Chipotle
Rescued Film WWII – I didn’t know about Rescued Film until I saw it on Twitter the other day. Apparently this project develops rolls of film they find or are sent, and among the subjects covered is World War II. The film recovered ranges from the 1930s to the 90s, and the WWII photographs are particularly cool, capturing a world ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. –Rescued Film Project
I think there’s a typo in the part about Norway. In the article, it said, “A countrywide survey in December 2014 showed that just 4% of Norwegians under 30 years still used illegal file-sharing platforms to get hold of music.”
@Nushie: Yes there was – thank you for catching it!
The Chipotle “Cultivating Thought” is actually an initiative by Jonathan Safran Foer. He pitched Chipotle, who went for it. Foer commissions the pieces and does whatever editing is needed; according to him, Chipotle has no editorial input. In an interview Foer gave Vanity Fair, he says he came up with the idea so Chipotle customers, who might not have easy access to libraries and/or bookstores, would have access to good writing.
Per Michael Lewis, who was a featured author in the first round, Chipotle “pays very well” for the essays.