Scoble quotes Jonathan Klein on the changes in the stock photo business being wrought by people like Thomas Hawk:

This is a business that’s seeing radical changes due to folks like Thomas. Thomas is an amateur. He gives his high-res images away for free, or for a low price if you want to use them commercially. He uses the same Canon 5D that other professionals are using. And, his images are often as good or better than the ones the pros are getting.

We know a semi-pro photographer (she helped my daughter's girl scout troop with a photography badge last year) who is running into the same thing, only she's far better prepared for those changes than the big photo warehouses like Getty are.

That's exactly what the music (and TV, and movie) businesses fear - becoming a commodity. The photo business is getting hit hard, because there's simply no way to lock up most photos. Some - of historical events - sure. There's going to be less and less of that as we go forward though, due to the sheer proliferation of good cameras. A decent amateur will be happy selling for a lot less than the pros do.

Now, as musical recording gets easier, we'll start to see some of the same thing happen. There are lots and lots of small bands that have no real interest in going pro - my cousin is in one. He has a wife and son, and doesn't really want to do the kind of road work that it would require. He also has a fulltime job, which makes music a hobby. As with photos, the band he's in would sell for a lot less than the pros and studios want to sell for - and they don't seem to be hung up on DRM, either.

It's going to be a rough transition for the studios to make, and they'll keep resisting it every inch of the way. In the end, I don't think they'll win. TV and movies - that will probably hold up longer. Doing quality story lines takes an actual budget - you have props, special effects, and - more importantly - time management. If you want to record a 2 hour movie that holds together, it's real work, and that requires paid time on the part of the people involved.

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