Comments on: I Still Listen to CDs and Read Books (and I bet a few other people do too) http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/ Musings of a Balding 29 Year Old Business Owner Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:23:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5576 Adam McFarland Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:21:06 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5576 Rob - that link to the Guardian reminded me of something. How freaking cool is it that they have an open API http://www.guardian.co.uk/open-platform Unlike most media companies, they realize that by letting developers use their content to build businesses everyone wins. I can't imagine what I could do with LockerPulse if we had more to work with than just RSS feeds. Rob – that link to the Guardian reminded me of something. How freaking cool is it that they have an open API http://www.guardian.co.uk/open-platform Unlike most media companies, they realize that by letting developers use their content to build businesses everyone wins. I can’t imagine what I could do with LockerPulse if we had more to work with than just RSS feeds.

]]> By: Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5575 Adam McFarland Sun, 27 Jun 2010 15:18:20 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5575 Sorry to hear about that store. I hope she finds a way to turn it around. I agree that there is a big opportunity for used book stores, but that they might have to adjust their business models. Most of the ones I've been to are very unorganized, but you can find some gems if you dig around. If it was a little better organized you could get your store online and supplement the in-store sales with sales on the web. There are a lot of people looking for out-of-print books on the web. Shipping books is very cheap and easy compared to most other online retail businesses. Sorry to hear about that store. I hope she finds a way to turn it around. I agree that there is a big opportunity for used book stores, but that they might have to adjust their business models. Most of the ones I’ve been to are very unorganized, but you can find some gems if you dig around. If it was a little better organized you could get your store online and supplement the in-store sales with sales on the web. There are a lot of people looking for out-of-print books on the web. Shipping books is very cheap and easy compared to most other online retail businesses.

]]> By: Rob http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5570 Rob Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:43:25 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5570 That's a really sad case Tim, I do hope she manages to turn it around somehow. It's already affecting the big stores here. The two big ones are (were) Waterstones & Borders. Borders went into administration last year - http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/nov/26/borders-goes-into-administration - they were all prime city centre, multi-floor retail units with coffee shops etc. A number of my friends lost their jobs. The unit near here stayed closed a long time and just last month reopened as a chain suit hire/sale store. There's now only the one big book retailer here and if the independent stores go too then that's it. That’s a really sad case Tim, I do hope she manages to turn it around somehow.

It’s already affecting the big stores here. The two big ones are (were) Waterstones & Borders. Borders went into administration last year – http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/nov/26/borders-goes-into-administration – they were all prime city centre, multi-floor retail units with coffee shops etc. A number of my friends lost their jobs. The unit near here stayed closed a long time and just last month reopened as a chain suit hire/sale store. There’s now only the one big book retailer here and if the independent stores go too then that’s it.

]]> By: Tim http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5569 Tim Sat, 26 Jun 2010 18:19:02 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5569 I have an interesting update on this subject. My business partners mother owns a small, privately owned book store in Virginia. Typically the summer months are her busy season and this June has been her worst month in years with no sign of it turning around. A few more months like this and she will have to close the shop down entirely. While the minority may prefer an actual book, with better e-readers that are more available and cheaper, the rising costs of shipping goods and the actual production of them I think we are going to see a very rapid decline in "hard print" in the next 5 years. If the ripples are already impacting the mom and pop shops, it will be felt by the big guys too, the days of GIANT Borders and Barnes & Noble stores may start going way of Blockbuster, well maybe not that drastic, but probably to smaller physical stores with far less inventory. Interestingly I think this creates a huge opportunity for used book stores and I think Amazon will flourish between the kindle, not having expensive retail space with an unsurpassed inventory and great pricing. I have an interesting update on this subject. My business partners mother owns a small, privately owned book store in Virginia. Typically the summer months are her busy season and this June has been her worst month in years with no sign of it turning around. A few more months like this and she will have to close the shop down entirely. While the minority may prefer an actual book, with better e-readers that are more available and cheaper, the rising costs of shipping goods and the actual production of them I think we are going to see a very rapid decline in “hard print” in the next 5 years. If the ripples are already impacting the mom and pop shops, it will be felt by the big guys too, the days of GIANT Borders and Barnes & Noble stores may start going way of Blockbuster, well maybe not that drastic, but probably to smaller physical stores with far less inventory. Interestingly I think this creates a huge opportunity for used book stores and I think Amazon will flourish between the kindle, not having expensive retail space with an unsurpassed inventory and great pricing.

]]> By: Tim http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5531 Tim Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:28:37 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5531 I've said for a few years that $99 is a good price point for a Kindle, maybe next year :) I’ve said for a few years that $99 is a good price point for a Kindle, maybe next year :)

]]> By: Rob http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5525 Rob Tue, 22 Jun 2010 16:01:33 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5525 Obviously they saw this blog post ;-) Obviously they saw this blog post ;-)

]]> By: Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5521 Adam McFarland Tue, 22 Jun 2010 15:16:55 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5521 OK so like two days later every e-book maker in the world has entered a price war and all of a sudden the Kindle is $189. Looking a little better...give me $99 and I'll do it :) OK so like two days later every e-book maker in the world has entered a price war and all of a sudden the Kindle is $189. Looking a little better…give me $99 and I’ll do it :)

]]> By: Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5518 Adam McFarland Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:34:13 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5518 Definitely. In your line of work the GPS must have been a huge time saver. I can imagine it was much more difficult to coordinate everyone when you were dealing with just maps. My GPS is #1, my cell phone is #2, and the map is the absolute last resort. Still, it's nice to have maps if the GPS breaks and the cell isn't in range, or both are out of battery. Not an impossible scenario. Definitely. In your line of work the GPS must have been a huge time saver. I can imagine it was much more difficult to coordinate everyone when you were dealing with just maps. My GPS is #1, my cell phone is #2, and the map is the absolute last resort. Still, it’s nice to have maps if the GPS breaks and the cell isn’t in range, or both are out of battery. Not an impossible scenario.

]]> By: Rob http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5505 Rob Tue, 22 Jun 2010 07:29:32 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5505 I think the books argument is a good one, as there are still superiorities in the old technology. With MP3s, there's still plenty to commend CDs over them - that they're (often) higher quality, have cover art, can be played very widely etc. With Cassette Tapes there's less to commend them... Obviously there are some superiorities with maps vs. GPS, but there's absolutely no way I could do my job without GPS - yeah, we all know where the highways are and the best way of getting from one end of the country to the other, but a map can't tell me how to find a tiny conference centre in the middle of a one-way-street maze in a city I'm unfamiliar with without me having to stop every 20 seconds to read the next part, can it? Don't get me wrong, I still have national and European maps in my car, as well as detailed maps for a few big cities, and they do get used when I'm on holiday, but on work time that's just not something I want to worry about. I think the books argument is a good one, as there are still superiorities in the old technology. With MP3s, there’s still plenty to commend CDs over them – that they’re (often) higher quality, have cover art, can be played very widely etc. With Cassette Tapes there’s less to commend them…

Obviously there are some superiorities with maps vs. GPS, but there’s absolutely no way I could do my job without GPS – yeah, we all know where the highways are and the best way of getting from one end of the country to the other, but a map can’t tell me how to find a tiny conference centre in the middle of a one-way-street maze in a city I’m unfamiliar with without me having to stop every 20 seconds to read the next part, can it? Don’t get me wrong, I still have national and European maps in my car, as well as detailed maps for a few big cities, and they do get used when I’m on holiday, but on work time that’s just not something I want to worry about.

]]> By: Adam McFarland http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/2010/06/20/i-still-listen-to-cds-and-read-books-and-i-bet-a-few-other-people-do-too/comment-page-1/#comment-5502 Adam McFarland Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:19:34 +0000 http://www.adam-mcfarland.net/?p=1654#comment-5502 I totally agree with you Tim, I'd probably buy one if I was traveling more, but books aren't really that bad to travel with. I tend to pick one or two and bring it with me (really not that much larger than a Kindle unless it's Atlas Shrugged or something). If and when I finish those books, I enjoy perusing local book stores or browsing the book stores at the airport or train station. It gives me something to do. It can be a good conversation starter in a new place, or a good way to kill time at the airport. Plus I tend to find the best books when I'm just randomly looking around. I totally agree with you Tim, I’d probably buy one if I was traveling more, but books aren’t really that bad to travel with. I tend to pick one or two and bring it with me (really not that much larger than a Kindle unless it’s Atlas Shrugged or something). If and when I finish those books, I enjoy perusing local book stores or browsing the book stores at the airport or train station. It gives me something to do. It can be a good conversation starter in a new place, or a good way to kill time at the airport. Plus I tend to find the best books when I’m just randomly looking around.

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