Remember how everyone would roll out the example of Apple’s influence on the recording industry as a primary reason why they didn’t want Apple “disrupting” markets like film, television, and the publishing industry? We usually laugh it off around here, but it seems like those morons over at the RIAA weren’t actually far off with their predictions for once. According to a new report published today, Apple’s media department is now larger than a lot of companies that have been working in their industry for decades.
From Bloomberg:
“By itself, Apple’s iTunes (which was just updated) and App stores, which hawk everything from movies and music to books and newspaper subscriptions, make more money than The New York Times; Simon & Schuster, which publishes the best-selling “Steve Jobs” biography; Warner Bros. film studios, which owns the popular Batman film franchise; and Time Inc., the largest magazine publisher in the U.S. … Combined.”
That’s pretty insane when you think about the fact that Apple’s relatively new to these markets. At first I was all, “aww, Apple’s putting people out of business.” But then I took a moment and realized that most of the behemoth dinosaurs that Apple’s outgrown failed to capitalize on modern technology and emerging markets, often kicking and screaming about piracy along the way. As a consumer, I’m more than happy Apple stuck it to these companies and gave us a distribution solution for the modern age. Apple’s marketplace is far from flawless and could certainly use a lot of tweaking, but it’s better than anything else on the available.
I couldn’t care less that Warner Bros., The New York Times, or Time Inc., are lagging behind Apple. Adapt or be left behind. Call it what you want. Idiots get left behind while the rest of us try and turn industries, philosophies, and paradigms on their heads. It doesn’t always work out, but when it does, it’s usually a game changer.
