E-Reader Companies Must Look Past The Book

To butcher the universal application of an old cliché regarding books and their covers, don’t judge an electronic book market’s profitability by its hardware. The industry has been obsessed with guessing the number of Kindles Amazon has sold, but that doesn’t tell the whole story of the device’s success. Since the Kindle is a $300 vending machine for Amazon, it can be a sustainable venture for the e-tailer even if it never cracks the mass market or achieves market share dominance.
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Why Did The Chickenfoot Cross The Road? (To Get On The Shelves)

I was standing in line the other day waiting to get my laptop checked out, when I peeked at the store’s music section. Readers know I’m a fan of CDs, so I was thrilled to see the section hadn’t shrunk since my last visit. What caught my eye was an out-of-stock on an end cap. Turns out the racks were cleaned out of Chickenfoot CDs. (For the uninitiated, Chickenfoot is a “super group” consisting of guitar legend Joe Satriani and members of Van Halen and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The CD hit the Billboard charts at #4, and the group’s early shows are already sold out.)

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