Re: walnut creek cd rom

["Sean Fahey" <a2fan@hotmail.com>]

"Ventzislav Tzvetkov" <drhirudo@mail.bg> wrote in message
10573339.0409022203.58ee77e9@posting.google.com">news:10573339.0409022203.58ee77e9@posting.google.com...
> "Sean Fahey" <a2fan@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:<tnIZc.8134$Ij5.1991@newssvr23.news.prodigy.com>...

> > Seriously, the Internet killed off the CD-ROM library biz about the same
way
> > it killed the BBS's that used them for file base resources.
>
> No it's not the Internet which killed the CD-ROMs libraries, but the
> faster and faster connections. The AminetCD existed until 2002, and

You might be talking about whats killing independent (small time)
publisher's of library CDs TODAY, I'm talking about what killed Walnut Creek
and the other big publishers in the United States. Thats how the thread
started.

As someone who used to be in the library publishing business, and also
helped run one of the midwest's (USA) largest file boards to ever exist (24
Pioneer 18 disc changers online) - I know I gave the correct answer. We
published/pressed and promoted hundreds of titles including all of Walnut
Creek's line - and we knew who our biggest buying crowd was -- BBS operators
were the largest consumer of discs by a huge margin. The average small time
BBS SysOp would buy 2 to 5 discs at a time, larger operators would buy 10 or
20 a month - depended on what was coming out and if they were on our
subscription plan or not. At out peak, we had hundreds of subscription
customers - sales were good during the early to mid 90's.

Sales of library discs fell off dramatically as the BBS scene got replaced
by more and more people switching to the Internet. Eventually, it wasn't
cost-effective to press discs either in the US or Canada (which was cheaper)
as shareware and freeware authors were distributing their apps on the
Internet. Thats when a lot of publishers switched to porn distribution (and
at which time, I got out) because that was the only content that had money
left in it. The guy I used to work with is still in the business, albeit he
doesn't press discs anymore - he sends everything over the net to his
customers. He makes 6 figures a year distributing porno contenet to web site
operators, many of whom are our former BBS SysOps that adapted from BBSing -
I chose not to participate in that industry.

Besides, it's only been in the last 3 years that broadband has gained
sufficient momentum in the USA that new BB customers are out-subscribing
dialups. During the dot.com bomb, broadband subscriptions languished. And
sadly, BB access in the US isn't universal yet - and where it is, we pay on
the average $45 for a 1.5-3Mbps connection, whereas Korean, Japanese and
many European customers can get 10-30Mbps for about $25.