Key content will be coming from amateurs soon

One of the elements that may come out of the current media debate undamaged could be content. Several companies are refocussing on content. IAC/InterActiveCorp, which runs Match.com, Ask.com and numerous other websites is planning to invest more in the production of content. In another industry, Simon Fuller, the man behind Pop Idols and the Spice Girls said that in the current “War-Zone” content creators will be the ultimate winners in the digital age. One of the reasons is that content movers, like record companies and publishers are loosing grip.

Fuller said that the future is about individual ideas. In this same light the Wall Street Journal reports on the age of the Amafessional, “amateurs rivaling professionals in opportunity, talent and the ability to produce quality work” and in an encouraging quote for this publication the writer says: “With the growing interest in e-readers, amateur publishing can become as powerful as blogging. No presses are required for purely electronic publishing, and over time, this new distribution system will have as-yet-unknown effects on the traditional publishing world”

Overall it’s encouraging to see some of the debate about the digital future (or perhaps, more correctly, the digital now) focussing on content creators and owners and asking who will create content in the future, what it will be like and how it will reach users. This will bring more focus to the debate on who will pay for content online and move us away from a pure “paywall” approach where all content, good, bad, easy to replicate or unique is hidden behind the same wall.

For further reading please check out these sources:

IAC wades deeper into content production
The Hollywood Reporter | October 28, 2009
Quote: Premium content will in the future not depend on the current online display ad model, but yield different types of revenue, Diller predicted. He signaled that they could include such things as premium-priced ads, subscriptions and transaction revenue,

Content is king in digital age, says Simon Fuller | Media | guardian.co.uk
Guardian | October 28, 2009
Quote: “It is a unique time, a troubling time but special because I don’t think anyone has all the answers. No one has really figured out how this can work positively for everyone,” he added. “It is a serious war zone 26 no one has really struck oil, but we know it is out there. My hat is firmly in the ring of the creator.”

Amateurs Rivaling Professionals Online – WSJ.com
The Wall Street Journal | October 28, 2009
Quote: This is the age of the amafessional, when amateurs are rivaling professionals in opportunity, talent and the ability to produce quality work. It’s happening in virtually every field. In areas ranging from communications to medicine to simply making things with your hands, amafessionals are gaining in numbers and the ability to market their services.