Jeff Bezos has a business problem

But it’s also because newspapers were an oligopoly, and they lose that oligopoly online. Newspapers are, yes, a content business, but they were also a light manufacturing business, and it was the replacement of light manufacturing and trucking with bits that removed the barrier to entry and unbundled their attention.

In general, will Substack replicate the patterns of marginalization found across the media industry, or will it help people locked out of the dominant media sphere to flourish? To a large extent, the answer depends on whether or not Substack’s founders believe they’re in the publishing business. When we spoke, they were adamant that Substack is a p... See more

With the exception of a few larger volume sellers, Amazon is shifting away from the retailer model by limiting their wholesale partnerships to the most impactful partners. The rules of the consumer economy are changing faster than ever. Some of these changes have had dire consequences, especially for independent retailers and challenger brands. Thi... See more

With prices like $5 / month or $8 / month for a commodity mobile platform, the concern is that pricing will soon shift to a “first year free” model or be entirely free, shifting the economic model to one that emphasizes broadcast advertising sales patterns. While this could bolster early acquisition, it degrades Hollywood’s trust in the platform. W... See more