Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
3/5
Unavailable
Unavailable
Unavailable
Audiobook9 hours
Free Ride: How Digital Parasites Are Destroying the Culture Business, and How the Culture Business Can Fight Back
Written by Robert Levine
Narrated by Byron Wagner
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
How did the newspaper, music, and film industries go from raking in big bucks to scooping up digital dimes? Their customers were lured away by the free ride of technology. Now, business journalist Robert Levine shows how they can get back on track.
On the Internet, "information wants to be free." This memorable phrase shaped the online business model, but it is now driving the media companies on whom the digital industry feeds out of business. Today, newspaper stocks have fallen to all-time lows as papers are pressured to give away content, music sales have fallen by more than half since file sharing became common, TV ratings are plummeting as viewership migrates online, and publishers face off against Amazon over the price of digital books.
In Free Ride, Robert Levine narrates an epic tale of value destruction that moves from the corridors of Congress, where the law was passed that legalized YouTube, to the dorm room of Shawn Fanning, the founder of Napster; from the bargain-pricing dramas involving iTunes and Kindle to Google's fateful decision to digitize first and ask questions later. Levine charts how the media industry lost control of its destiny and suggests innovative ways it can resist the pull of zero.
Fearless in its reporting and analysis, Free Ride is the business history of the decade and a much-needed call to action.
On the Internet, "information wants to be free." This memorable phrase shaped the online business model, but it is now driving the media companies on whom the digital industry feeds out of business. Today, newspaper stocks have fallen to all-time lows as papers are pressured to give away content, music sales have fallen by more than half since file sharing became common, TV ratings are plummeting as viewership migrates online, and publishers face off against Amazon over the price of digital books.
In Free Ride, Robert Levine narrates an epic tale of value destruction that moves from the corridors of Congress, where the law was passed that legalized YouTube, to the dorm room of Shawn Fanning, the founder of Napster; from the bargain-pricing dramas involving iTunes and Kindle to Google's fateful decision to digitize first and ask questions later. Levine charts how the media industry lost control of its destiny and suggests innovative ways it can resist the pull of zero.
Fearless in its reporting and analysis, Free Ride is the business history of the decade and a much-needed call to action.
Unavailable
Author
Robert Levine
Robert Levine is a classical music and opera critic and senior editor at www.classicstoday.com. He is the author of Maria Callas: A Musical Biography and the children's book The Story of the Orchestra, among others.
Related to Free Ride
Related audiobooks
The 11 Immutable Laws of Internet Branding Binge Times: Inside Hollywood's Furious Billion-Dollar Battle to Take Down Netflix Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use "Plain English" to Rob You Blind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Talk to Me: How Voice Computing Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Think Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Live Work Work Work Die: A Journey into the Savage Heart of Silicon Valley Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kick Ass Business and Marketing Secrets: How to Blitz Your Competition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWeb3: The Insights You Need from Harvard Business Review Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today's Business While Creating the Future Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Filter Bubble: What the Internet Is Hiding from You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ten Rules of Reporting: Journalism for the Community Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Native Advertising Advantage: Build Authentic Content that Revolutionizes Digital Marketing and Drives Revenue Growth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUncanny Valley: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nothing But Net: 10 Timeless Stock-Picking Lessons from One of Wall Street's Top Tech Analysts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Converge: Transforming Business at the Intersection of Marketing and Technology Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Players Ball: A Genius, a Con Man, and the Secret History of the Internet's Rise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming a Venture Capitalist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Tech Tyrants: How Silicon Valley's Stealth Practices Addict Teens, Silence Speech and Steal Your Privacy Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The New Technology Elite: How Great Companies Optimize Both Technology Consumption and Production Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFortune's Formula: The Untold Story of the Scientific Betting System That Beat the Casinos and Wall Street Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWTF?: What's the Future and Why It's Up to Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mobilized Marketing: How to Drive Sales, Engagement, and Loyalty Through Mobile Devices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Documentaries Went Mainstream: A History, 1960-2022 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI, Justine: An Analog Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Conversion Code, 2nd Edition: Stop Chasing Leads and Start Attracting Clients Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Copyright: What Everyone Needs to Know Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings24/7 Politics: Cable Television and the Fragmenting of America from Watergate to Fox News Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Popular Culture & Media Studies For You
Freakonomics Rev Ed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Full Service: My Adventures in Hollywood and the Secret Sex Lives of the Stars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 50th Law Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Writing of Hunter S. Thompson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Cosmic: UFOs, Religion, Technology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Psychology of Zelda: Linking Our World to the Legend of Zelda Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Of Dice and Men: The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and The People Who Play It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Burn Book: A Tech Love Story Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Among the Bros: A Fraternity Crime Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Panic: Douglas Adams and the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women's Anger Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Do You Know Who I Am?: Battling Imposter Syndrome in Hollywood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Predictably Irrational Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Trust Your Gut: Using Data to Get What You Really Want in Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hate Inc.: Why Today's Media Makes Us Despise One Another Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Whose Middle Ages?: Teachable Moments for an Ill-Used Past Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Welcome to the United States of Anxiety: Observations from a Reforming Neurotic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Butts: A Backstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Burn It Down: Power, Complicity, and a Call for Change in Hollywood Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
015 Rich on Tech Radio Show - April 15, 2023 0% found this document usefulSocialise the Series of Tubes: Toward a Democratic Internet 0% found this document usefulSocialise the Series of Tubes: Toward a Democratic Internet 0% found this document usefulWhat Nostr Did with Ben Arc 0% found this document usefulRadio of Tomorrow? 0% found this document useful(Short Cuts) Death of the Viral News Site 0% found this document usefulThe New York Times Company: 170 years of company history? No problem for Acquired! 0% found this document usefulBREAKDOWN: Of Course Walmart Isn't Accepting Litecoin 0% found this document useful(Short Cuts) The VICE Guide to Losing $5.7 Billion 0% found this document usefulThe New Marketplace 0% found this document usefulBrett Gaylor - The Internet of Everything 0% found this document usefulThe Future of Radio 0% found this document useful36: Boot Up for August 16, 2023 0% found this document usefulDemolishing El Chapultepec, Landlord Watch: Algorithm Edition, and Your Bike Lane Comments 0% found this document useful"Net Neutrality" vs. Internet Freedom 0% found this document usefulWill Jeff Bezos lead the next media revolution? 0% found this document usefulRadio versus Pay-Per-Click 0% found this document useful
Related articles
The Environmental Cost of Internet Porn The AtlanticArticle
The Environmental Cost of Internet Porn
Dec 13, 2017
5 min readIt Costs To Have Good, Aggressive Journalism Tribune Content Agency OpinionsArticle
It Costs To Have Good, Aggressive Journalism
Apr 15, 2020
Consider this, with apologies to Jonathan Swift, a modest proposal. Or call it -- apologies to Charles Dickens -- a tale of two cities. We begin in 2000 as Napster, a service that allowed music lovers to receive music without paying -- i.e., to steal
2 min readMichael Hiltzik: FCC Chairman Defends Net Neutrality by Substituting Ideology for History Los Angeles TimesArticle
Michael Hiltzik: FCC Chairman Defends Net Neutrality by Substituting Ideology for History
Nov 30, 2017
The world of the internet, as seen by Federal Communications Chairman Ajit Pai, is simple. Regulation is bad, deregulation is good. Conservatives are victims, and liberals reign supreme. And history doesn't matter. That's the impression one gets from
4 min readA "Brutal, Fearful Time" for Journalism Mother JonesArticle
A "Brutal, Fearful Time" for Journalism
Feb 15, 2023
3 min readMary McNamara: From BuzzFeed To Netflix, Digital Media Promised Revolution. And A Bloody Business It's Been Los Angeles TimesArticle
Mary McNamara: From BuzzFeed To Netflix, Digital Media Promised Revolution. And A Bloody Business It's Been
Apr 21, 2023
4 min readNet Neutrality Was Never Enough The AtlanticArticle
Net Neutrality Was Never Enough
Dec 15, 2017
7 min readConsumer Confidential: Apple And Netflix And Hulu, Oh My! 'Subscription Fatigue' Sets In Among Streamers Los Angeles TimesArticle
Consumer Confidential: Apple And Netflix And Hulu, Oh My! 'Subscription Fatigue' Sets In Among Streamers
Mar 25, 2019
5 min readHow Silicon Valley Can Help Save Journalism NewsweekArticle
How Silicon Valley Can Help Save Journalism
Feb 17, 2017
4 min readFCC Votes To Kill Net Neutrality In An Unsurprising Move. What Happens Now? MacWorldArticle
FCC Votes To Kill Net Neutrality In An Unsurprising Move. What Happens Now?
Oct 16, 2018
3 min readEntertainment Is A Hard Sell PC Pro MagazineArticle
Entertainment Is A Hard Sell
Oct 5, 2023
3 min readMovie Premieres – Now Also At Home Home Cinema WorldArticle
Movie Premieres – Now Also At Home
May 21, 2021
Our media consumption is changing, and the way we watch movies and what we watch them with is no exception. In the music area, sales of physical formats – apart from vinyl discs – have been rapidly declining for years. Instead, we are listening to mu
1 min readSilicon Valley Played By A Different Set Of Rules. Facebook's Crisis Could Put An End To That Los Angeles TimesArticle
Silicon Valley Played By A Different Set Of Rules. Facebook's Crisis Could Put An End To That
Mar 23, 2018
7 min readWho’s Really Censoring the Web? Manhattan InstituteArticle
Who’s Really Censoring the Web?
Nov 29, 2017
3 min readDigital Disruption Or Disaster? New Zealand ListenerArticle
Digital Disruption Or Disaster?
Mar 25, 2024
2 min readBrian Merchant: Hollywood Is On Strike Because CEOs Fell For Silicon Valley's Magical Thinking Los Angeles TimesArticle
Brian Merchant: Hollywood Is On Strike Because CEOs Fell For Silicon Valley's Magical Thinking
Jul 21, 2023
6 min readRISK OF STREAMING FATIGUE AS WALMART, AT&T, DISNEY JOIN FRAY TechLife NewsArticle
RISK OF STREAMING FATIGUE AS WALMART, AT&T, DISNEY JOIN FRAY
Nov 24, 2018
2 min readFCC Chief Lays Out Attack on ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules TechLife NewsArticle
FCC Chief Lays Out Attack on ‘Net Neutrality’ Rules
Apr 28, 2017
3 min readLord Of The Landlines Forbes AfricaArticle
Lord Of The Landlines
Dec 2, 2022
6 min readCommentary: Streaming Is TV’s Future. Can The Writers Strike Get Executives To Pay Accordingly? Los Angeles TimesArticle
Commentary: Streaming Is TV’s Future. Can The Writers Strike Get Executives To Pay Accordingly?
Jul 6, 2023
3 min readInternet Firms Winding Up for a Fight on ‘Net Neutrality’ TechLife NewsArticle
Internet Firms Winding Up for a Fight on ‘Net Neutrality’
Apr 28, 2017
3 min readGrowth Of Internet Porn Tells Us More About Ourselves Than Technology | John Naughton The GuardianArticle
Growth Of Internet Porn Tells Us More About Ourselves Than Technology | John Naughton
Dec 30, 2018
3 min readInternet Firms Winding Up for a Fight on ‘Net Neutrality’ AppleMagazineArticle
Internet Firms Winding Up for a Fight on ‘Net Neutrality’
Apr 28, 2017
3 min readStreaming Becomes Mainstream as Cord-Cutting Accelerates Chicago TribuneArticle
Streaming Becomes Mainstream as Cord-Cutting Accelerates
Dec 27, 2017
5 min readConsumer Confidential: The Cost Of A Cable Set-top Box Is A Mystery Los Angeles TimesArticle
Consumer Confidential: The Cost Of A Cable Set-top Box Is A Mystery
Oct 31, 2018
4 min readStreaming Broke Hollywood, But Saved TV — Now It's Time For You To Do Your Part NPRArticle
Streaming Broke Hollywood, But Saved TV — Now It's Time For You To Do Your Part
Sep 14, 2023
5 min readGuiding Light New Zealand ListenerArticle
Guiding Light
May 8, 2022
2 min readHow America's Largest Newspaper Company Is Leaving Behind News Deserts NPRArticle
How America's Largest Newspaper Company Is Leaving Behind News Deserts
Apr 10, 2023
2 min readThis Stream Is A Flood Journal of Alta CaliforniaArticle
This Stream Is A Flood
Mar 31, 2020
12 min readThe Pirate Preservations ReasonArticle
The Pirate Preservations
Aug 17, 2023
14 min readInside HBO Max's Scramble To Launch A Massive Bet On Streaming Los Angeles TimesArticle
Inside HBO Max's Scramble To Launch A Massive Bet On Streaming
May 22, 2020
Pairing Tony Soprano with Elmo and Chandler Bing was always going to be tricky. Would the murderous mob boss befriend a red Muppet? Forget about it. Nor would Tony Soprano have much patience for the wiseguy antics of Chandler Bing, the neighbor from
9 min read
Reviews for Free Ride
Rating: 3.399997333333333 out of 5 stars
3.5/5
15 ratings0 reviews