Remember Napster?

Napster will go down in history as one of the most disruptive “things” for businesses in the old economy. The music and video sharing and downloading site gave users across the globe the ability to “share” each others’ collections. The music industry bore the brunt of Napster there was a time when we thought that it will change it forever. Countless copycats and lawsuits later, things seem to have settled down a bit.

A couple of “legitimate” business models emerged in this space. Where legitimate means: music download is OK as long as you pay for it. The two most prevalent business models are – “pay by the sip” as in Apple’s iTunes or monthly subscription as in Real’s Rhapsody. Napster itself morphed into dopted the subscription model.

This music industry saga is far from over. It will take a few twists and turns before all is said and done. But there is a much more important story emerging thanks to Napster.

Well, forget Napster. Also forget what it did to the music industry. That was nothing compared to what is going to happen thanks to what Napster started. Or arguably, was the first one to tap into or prove. This phenomenon is not going to be restricted to an industry. It will fundamentally affect all industries – especially those that have a customer!

Are you going to be affected? Is there opportunity for you? Read on…