Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-475
Authors: Bläsi, Christoph
Title: Associations in the creative industries as operators of digital platforms : ´failure factors´, with an example from the German book industry in the focus
Online publication date: 25-Mar-2020
Year of first publication: 2018
Language: english
Abstract: The specific economics of platforms provide an ideal situation for new entrants to national digital cultural markets, also for entrants from abroad and/or from a different industry. In situations like this, incumbents in SME-dominated cultural industries often look for support – typically first of all with the state. Since support from this side is often problematic, sometimes legally outright impossible, associations of cultural industries under pressure are often seen as alternative top-level actors to stand in for manifest interests of the enterprises. I will focus on the situation on the German book market in the late 2000s, when Amazon developed into the dominating ebook distribution platform. Since this threatened to kick national actors, typically SMEs, out of the ebook distribution business on the long run, the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels, the industry association, set up a competing platform. This attempt failed. Mainly based on witnesses, I will sketch the history of this project and try to distill some of its ´failure factors´. Moreover, I will triangulate the corresponding findings by looking at two similar attempts by associations, Phonoline and MO3T. Finally, I will present an unintended, but very successful late effect of failed ´Libreka!´, the Tolino Alliance.
DDC: 070 Nachrichtenmedien
070 News media
Institution: Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department: FB 05 Philosophie und Philologie
Place: Mainz
ROR: https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI: http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-475
URN: urn:nbn:de:hebis:77-publ-596225
Version: Accepted version
Publication type: Buchbeitrag
License: In Copyright
Information on rights of use: https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Citation: Digital Platforms and Cultural Industries
Bouquillion, Philippe
Pages or article number: 117
132
Publisher: P.I.E. Peter Lang
Publisher place: Bruxelles u.a.
Issue date: 2018
Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3726/b14814
Publisher DOI: 10.3726/b14814
Appears in collections:JGU-Publikationen

Files in This Item:
  File Description SizeFormat
Thumbnail
59622.pdf854.46 kBAdobe PDFView/Open