My favorite poster on the walls here at Public Knowledge is one called “You’ve Heard This Song Before.” It collects the assorted FUD that has accompanied disruptive media technologies over the years. The death of American music in 1906 at the hands of the Player Piano, FM radio destroying the (shockingly still vibrant at the time in light of the success of the player piano) recorded music industry in 1925, the “assault” on the “economic life” of the movie industry by the VCR in 1982, and the “noose” around the neck of songwriters that would cease the creation of all records that was the recordable cassette tape in 1982.

I like this poster so much because each quote represents someone successfully working in the content industry being completely unable to understand the difference between change, death, and opportunity.

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