Selling Copies in a World of Hyperdistribution

I've heard from many people on this, in the publishing industry, in the music industry, in the software industry...

The funny thing is how not worried about it some people are. Maybe they're just in denial. I hear from one talk that textbook publishing is dead (since it no longer costs ridiculous amounts of money to typeset and print equations - I can do this with the school printer now). Six months later, a senior editor tells me that hard covers are here to stay.

I must point out that the publishers are at least a little bit right when they claim their function encompasses much more than printing discs. The entire engine of marketing and distribution, including the parts with industry connections, will have to be relocated before old publishing can rest in peace.

My guess is that no matter what they say in speeches, everyone is watching the Internet right now for some sign of the great new business model. I like this article, because it suggests the beginnings of a solution. Most merely state that we have a problem.