You thought it was interesting when it was merely Amazon versus Macmillan? Well, hold on to your seats. According to this article, Rupert Murdoch is unhappy with the US$9.99 Kindle prices.
“We don’t like the Amazon model of selling everything at $US9.99,” Murdoch said when asked about electronic books during a conference call with analysts on Tuesday.
“They pay us the wholesale price of $US14 or whatever we charge,” he said. “But I think it really devalues books and it hurts all the retailers of the hard cover books.”
What does Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation own? Oh, you know. A teensy publisher called HarperCollins.
Can you see it now? Let’s say Amazon does the same whoops-no-HarperCollins-titles-on-Amazon thing that they did (and as of this blog post at 7:35 am Eastern on Wednesday Feb. 3, are still doing) with Macmillan titles and removes the buy buttons for all formats (including print) and drops HarperCollins books from customers’ wish lists. I call right now that the entire right-wing-leaning world would learn about this via Fox News. Yeah, they’d have to say that Fox News is owned (like most of the entire world) by News Corporation. But I’m guessing that wouldn’t bother people too much.
And then…here’s the brilliant part…you know that if Fox News would be discussing this, MSNBC, CNN and The Daily Show wouldn’t be far behind.
All right, now I’m just giddy!
So go ahead, Amazon. I dare you to pull the plug on HarperCollins titles. I double-dog dare you.
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I triple dog dare them!
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LOL! Awesome.
by Christine
on February 3rd, 2010 at 9:37 am
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I just can’t believe they haven’t put the buttons back! They look slimier the longer they drag their feet, especially after ‘capitulating’ to MacM.
by Jess
on February 3rd, 2010 at 11:44 am
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“I never thought I would be cheering on Rupert Murdoch.”
That was the general sentiment at a business meeting I attended this morning.
The publishing industry hates Amazon. They do business with them because Amazon is the only game in town (realistically speaking), but Amazon has been Walmarting the publishers for years.
Now the publishing houses have their own 800-lb gorilla via a deal with another devil (Apple), who is willing (at the moment) to let the publishers have strong control over terms.
The publishers are also banding together, as kids sometimes will to control a bully. The whole business is wonderful theater. Look at all the predictable human behavior!
by --E
on February 3rd, 2010 at 12:29 pm
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They are standing in front of the flag pole in the schollyard in the dead of winter, tongues out. Who licks the pole first? 
by Andrea
on February 3rd, 2010 at 12:53 pm
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I don’t suppose it’s occured to anyone that with Ruppert Murdoch stating this it’s just beyond stupid. His own company is a behemoth who tells other’s what to do….what a hypocrite!
by Maria D.
on February 3rd, 2010 at 1:49 pm
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Maria, I wouldn’t say it’s stupid. I’ll give you hypocritical every day of the week, but Murdoch is sitting back, letting a competitor and a distributor duke it out in a very public fashion, deciding which side will best profit him, and casually suggesting he’ll be renegotiating? Possibly brilliant. And extremely hypocritical.
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It’ll be interesting to watch the feathers fly.
