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The Future of Content
Futurist Gerd Leonhard has been writing about the future of content i.e. music, film, TV, books, newspapers, games etc, since 1998. He has published 4 books on this topic, 2 of them on music (The Future of Music, Music 2.0). For the past 10 years Leonhard has been deeply involved with many clients in various sectors of the content industry, in something like 17 countries, and it’s been a great experience, he says. “I have learned a lot, I have listened a lot, I have talked even more (most and I think I have grown to really understand the issues that face the content industries - and the creators, themselves - in the switch from physical to digital media.”This Kindle book is a highly curated collection of the most important essays and blog posts Leonhard has written on this topic, and even though some of it was written as far back as 2007 - “I believe it still holds water years later. I have tried to only include the pieces that have real teeth. Please note that the original date of each piece is shown here in order to allow for contextual orientation.”Leonhard’s intent to publish this via the amazing Amazon Kindle platform, exclusively, and at a very low price, is to make these ideas and concepts as widely available as possible while still trying to be an example of what digital, paperless distribution can look like, going forward.
- GenresTechnology
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
About the author
Gerd Leonhard
10 books42 followersGerd is an avid futurist but also a passionate humanist; a philosopher and musician by training, as well as an early internet entrepreneur. He believes that technology can do amazing things, and that we should embrace it – but he also thinks we must urgently protect what makes us human. Gerd often points out that technology does not have ethics, that it is morally neutral until we use it (riffing-off W. Gibson), and that we need to invest as much in humanity than we invest in technology.
And that all breakthrough-technologies can be used both for human advancement, as well as to our detriment. To ensure that human flourishing remains the primary goal of all scientific and technological advances as we enter this era of exponential progress, we must evaluate, frame and govern technology wisely. Societies are driven by their technology but defined by their humanity!
And that all breakthrough-technologies can be used both for human advancement, as well as to our detriment. To ensure that human flourishing remains the primary goal of all scientific and technological advances as we enter this era of exponential progress, we must evaluate, frame and govern technology wisely. Societies are driven by their technology but defined by their humanity!
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 9, 2013
Gerd Leonhard's is a bold title indeed, The Future of Content. For me, implied within were answers to big questions: What will future content, successful media offerings look like? What is the media consumer/user looking for? How will the future internet operate? What will be the future business model? More specifically, "How can you make money with content when "the copy" is free and ubiquitously available (legally or not)? How can you generate strong and recurring revenues with digital content if you can't control who gets to access, read, view, watch, or share it?" GL
Leonhard wastes no time in getting to these weighty issues, dealt with in an easy informative voice, logical in his progression of thought. Seventy four essays left me first in wonder if there was some underlying theme, or whether a collection of observations useful only to confuse me more. After reading the first five, threads of a message began to weave together, a perspective of elements in relationship, not in the vacuum of subjective.
Those labeled futurists, a descriptive so easily applied from Wells and Orwell to Rand and Toffler, have typically succeeded almost exclusively in disturbing me in dark visions where personal freedoms are restricted. In contrast to Leonhard's low tone in his assessment of large media outlets attempts to monopolize content/rights/intellectual properties as misguided. There is no excitement, no alarm or arm waving from Leonhard. There's no reason to overreact, and he explains why.
To see what future content might look like, Leonard first touches on the traditional business model, argued as an ultimately unsustainable, one of selling static content, songs and books. The decline in the recording industry direct revenues in recent years stands as evidence. A strategy that Leonard argues as both practically and philosophically flawed, based on the "prevailing assumption...that less control over distribution equals declining revenues." GL A strategy he reasons can't work in the long run as "transactions are always a consequence of attention and attraction, interaction, communication, engagement, and trust. It is never the other way round." GL "Any plan to monetise content must start with first attracting faithful users and enamored followers (to use the Twitter moniker) by constantly providing a stream of attractive, relevant and timely, targeted values, and to then convert this attention into money." GL
Leonhard predicts the "feels like free" (GL) and selling up approach used by cable TV e.g., as a dead duck, "The time-honoured approach - `if you want this content you'll have to pay, first' - is collapsing and won't come back no matter how much we liked it." GL The novelty of it is wearing off and consumers/users more and more lament the pay wall distraction, and that "most of us will no longer tolerate interruptions, meaningless pitches, garish popups, Las Vegas-style skyscraper ads or junk email. We are looking for truly personalized offers, real meaning, solid relevance, timeliness, and yes, transparency and truthfulness." GL Leonhard's predictions are more than well argued, they are supported in a recent study of consumer preferences by Latitude.
Secondly is to consider the sheer volume of data, growing exponentially, and its' disembodiment, the largest part of new content - a mind boggling volume uncontrollable in practical terms. Security measures like the SOPA legislation (not specifically mentioned by GL, proposed as anecdotal evidence) argued as piracy prevention are veiled attempts to control rights, actions unenforceable and easily defeated by real pirates.
Just as the Cloud sells us on the ideals of collaboration, realization proves more difficult, and is desired to be as such by the major media players. But Leonhard gives an outline, a glimpse of what the world could look like after the present hierarchies and myths are finally slayed. A virtual world open and honest in its' dealings. A positive experience targeted at the individual consumer/user satisfaction. Leonhard holds out hope to that world, not in a leap of faith, but in cool level argument.
The producer that connects directly with customized content that is useful and targeted to consumer need will win the day. The successful producer will expand reality, not replace or subvert it, creating an enhanced real world experience, layered and interactive, a consumer experience with a sense of self determination and personal growth. Ultimately this is what will create the call to action, without annoying pop ups and skyscraper ad distractions and pay wall diversions that reduce satisfaction. Skillful Storytelling will be an inseparable element of this content.
I can't possibly cover the length and breadth of Gerd Leonard's proposals, but feel safe in assuming The Future of Content is a very good book. One I think will prove prescient and important as such.
I have done several book reviews on line and in all cases the author was dead or so famous as to be unconcerned with what I might say. It is safe to assume neither is the case here. So here I am torn to post this, both welcome in the reward of author's reinforcement, I get it; or dreading of the risk of being that guy in Annie Hall who spouts on about Marshall McLuhan while standing in line for a movie, only to have Woody Allen pull the real McLuhan out of line to tell the guy he'd missed the point all together.
Leonhard wastes no time in getting to these weighty issues, dealt with in an easy informative voice, logical in his progression of thought. Seventy four essays left me first in wonder if there was some underlying theme, or whether a collection of observations useful only to confuse me more. After reading the first five, threads of a message began to weave together, a perspective of elements in relationship, not in the vacuum of subjective.
Those labeled futurists, a descriptive so easily applied from Wells and Orwell to Rand and Toffler, have typically succeeded almost exclusively in disturbing me in dark visions where personal freedoms are restricted. In contrast to Leonhard's low tone in his assessment of large media outlets attempts to monopolize content/rights/intellectual properties as misguided. There is no excitement, no alarm or arm waving from Leonhard. There's no reason to overreact, and he explains why.
To see what future content might look like, Leonard first touches on the traditional business model, argued as an ultimately unsustainable, one of selling static content, songs and books. The decline in the recording industry direct revenues in recent years stands as evidence. A strategy that Leonard argues as both practically and philosophically flawed, based on the "prevailing assumption...that less control over distribution equals declining revenues." GL A strategy he reasons can't work in the long run as "transactions are always a consequence of attention and attraction, interaction, communication, engagement, and trust. It is never the other way round." GL "Any plan to monetise content must start with first attracting faithful users and enamored followers (to use the Twitter moniker) by constantly providing a stream of attractive, relevant and timely, targeted values, and to then convert this attention into money." GL
Leonhard predicts the "feels like free" (GL) and selling up approach used by cable TV e.g., as a dead duck, "The time-honoured approach - `if you want this content you'll have to pay, first' - is collapsing and won't come back no matter how much we liked it." GL The novelty of it is wearing off and consumers/users more and more lament the pay wall distraction, and that "most of us will no longer tolerate interruptions, meaningless pitches, garish popups, Las Vegas-style skyscraper ads or junk email. We are looking for truly personalized offers, real meaning, solid relevance, timeliness, and yes, transparency and truthfulness." GL Leonhard's predictions are more than well argued, they are supported in a recent study of consumer preferences by Latitude.
Secondly is to consider the sheer volume of data, growing exponentially, and its' disembodiment, the largest part of new content - a mind boggling volume uncontrollable in practical terms. Security measures like the SOPA legislation (not specifically mentioned by GL, proposed as anecdotal evidence) argued as piracy prevention are veiled attempts to control rights, actions unenforceable and easily defeated by real pirates.
Just as the Cloud sells us on the ideals of collaboration, realization proves more difficult, and is desired to be as such by the major media players. But Leonhard gives an outline, a glimpse of what the world could look like after the present hierarchies and myths are finally slayed. A virtual world open and honest in its' dealings. A positive experience targeted at the individual consumer/user satisfaction. Leonhard holds out hope to that world, not in a leap of faith, but in cool level argument.
The producer that connects directly with customized content that is useful and targeted to consumer need will win the day. The successful producer will expand reality, not replace or subvert it, creating an enhanced real world experience, layered and interactive, a consumer experience with a sense of self determination and personal growth. Ultimately this is what will create the call to action, without annoying pop ups and skyscraper ad distractions and pay wall diversions that reduce satisfaction. Skillful Storytelling will be an inseparable element of this content.
I can't possibly cover the length and breadth of Gerd Leonard's proposals, but feel safe in assuming The Future of Content is a very good book. One I think will prove prescient and important as such.
I have done several book reviews on line and in all cases the author was dead or so famous as to be unconcerned with what I might say. It is safe to assume neither is the case here. So here I am torn to post this, both welcome in the reward of author's reinforcement, I get it; or dreading of the risk of being that guy in Annie Hall who spouts on about Marshall McLuhan while standing in line for a movie, only to have Woody Allen pull the real McLuhan out of line to tell the guy he'd missed the point all together.
September 22, 2015
Blogs and essays by Leonhard during 2008-2011 on the content business (music, media, tv, books, newspapers) and how the internet affects and will affect those businesses. Leonhard offers advice on how to engage users and consumers and monetize on this. This is interesting read also with hindsight, since some predictions have become a reality and some not. Although this book is based on blogs and speeches, I would have favoured more editing and some shortening of the texts. I also found it awkward that texts were presented in a reverse time order, newest first, oldest last, since it sometimes presented a confusing impression, like "did he not figure that out already some 10 pages back".
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews