Digital Distribution may not be all it’s cracked up to be

“We’re going Digitaaal. Di-di-di-gitaaaal.. That’s right! Everyone is trying to jump on the speedy, convenient bandwagon that is the internet. And in the music industry, people are seemingly moving quicker than the rest. But is Digital Distribution really all it’s cracked up to be?? Well, you be the judge….Check out some of the pros and cons of going digital listed below:

PROS

Digital = Direct sales

Without the need for physical manufacturing, distribution or stocking, digitally distributed products involve fewer middle men, and by doing so can return a far larger portion of their price to their creators.

Digital = Global availability

Any one person with an Internet connection will be able to purchase and obtain a digital copy easily. All while reducing or removing delivery cost, and traditional waiting time.

Digital = Back Catalogs

Digital products do not need to be mass produced to stock retail shelves. With a single original copy, the publisher and developer can quickly duplicate copies to meet demands. This can greatly cut down on the cost of maintaining back catalogs.

CONS

Digital = Loss of publisher support

There are drawbacks of an independent approach, mainly the loss of publisher funding. The loss of advertising is another issue that stems from the dropping of publishers.

Digital = Difficult Rights Management

Digital work is easy to duplicate without any loss of quality and with the direct nature and lower prices of online distribution, piracy has a far greater impact than it does for traditional media.

Digital = Proof of Purchase Troubles

Proof of Purchase laws were not created with short-lived products in mind. This has led to many difficult legal problems for digital distributors, relating to refunds and returns, sales themselves, and the transfer of product ownership.