I wouldn’t normally link from here to an explicitly political site like Dros or Kudge (or whatever), but Huffpost has an interesting piece about publishing’s approach to product digitalization.

Most intriguing to me was with the following not-so-flattering description of the development approach publishing firms take, which could spell trouble in the digital age:

The “somebody do something that works so we can copy it” mentality duplicates the … attitude espoused by long-time executives in music who simply could not or would not question the viability of the professional cocoons they’d built for themselves …

What offed the music business — and what the publishing industry is facing — is a corporate structure built to churn out hits to subsidize an entire product line. Rather than developing artists, exploiting regional marketplaces, and building financial models that can easily support a mid-range list, both industries focus on entertainment at the expense of art and expression.

(Difference between selling entertainment vs art? Entertainment starts with the customer and works back to the product. Art begins with the product and works forward to find/create an audience.)

Thoughts?  Agree? Disagree?