The focus of this post is the metamorphosis of a few industries that have gone under the unforgiving microscope of the internet: how would their business model succeed when the physics of their media shifted? For music, it's been rough - ask the major labels - many of them now seem to have made the changes that they need to make. iTunes features most of its catalogue from the majors as DRM free downloads; independent labels were there as DRM free long before them. The key has not been "How do we control this" - conversely, it's been "how do we make this as easy as possible for people to buy? What is the fewest number of clicks possible between the user and checking out of our eCommerce system with product?"
For a long time it has been easier to torrent a piece of material than to buy it. That was not the problem of the torrent maker; it was an opportunity for the music industry to have something made that worked efficiently for consumers. One of iTunes key success factors has been that, through their interface and process, they've made it easier for customers to legitimately buy music instead of having to go to the trouble of downloading it for free off of a relatively unpredictable service.
The success of these businesses has become a design issue.
