• by Amanda , April 5, 2008

This week, news broke that iTunes surpassed Wal-Mart in music sales. This is the first time a digital music company has sold more music than the traditional retail store – that’s amazing. A few weeks ago, a study came out showing an increase in newspaper readership online, which is offsetting their decrease in print readership. In the “digital age,” it seems like traditional media could do just fine with a few adjustments.

I’m currently reading a book about copyright law changes in the “digital millennium.” The book is three years old, and it spends the majority of it’s time talking about how the “Napster model” is the biggest threat traditional media will encounter. Ever. Now, Napster made a lot of people question how to protect their property online, but more than anything, Napster prompted innovation and the creation of companies like iTunes which have profited substantially from looking at the current media environment and adapting. This book was also written at a time when online TV was impossible, but it seems TV stations have embraced this concept and many people are watching their favorite shows cuddled up next to their laptops.

I think there is still a place for traditional media. I will always love reading a paperback novel, or listening to the radio. I just don’t buy the doom-and-gloom perception that I have read in recent blogs about the total end to traditional media. People will still consume newspapers, live TV, and books – as we have seen with Wal-Mart and Best Buy (the #2 and #3 best selling music stores) people will still buy their media at a physical store. But the digital age provides additional opportunities for media owners to make money, and consumers to consume their content whenever and wherever.