Why AdTech is Back (It Never Left)
One of the most valuable characteristics of venture investing is that sectors go in and out of favor. Certain sectors, no matter the investment climate, have perennial long-term value. At least, that...
View ArticleWill the Internet Unbundle Higher Education Too?
I was fortunate enough to be asked to deliver the keynote address at this year’s Sustainable Scholarship Conference, put on by ITHAKA. Here, I attempt to review how the internet has disrupted bundled...
View ArticleAn Emerging New Model for TV? Crunchyroll.
As the viewer trend data make clear, legacy TV is undergoing a dramatic transformation, led by the many alternative ways of watching video. Cable subs are in decline, network TV viewership has tanked,...
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The Price of Music
Will the recorded music industry ever grow again? Since 1999, the industry has been in rapid decline as CDs became unbundled into downloaded singles. The digital download market never came close to the...
View ArticleThe FCC Decides to Eviscerate the Neutral Internet
Like many in the tech community, I was both shocked and dismayed at the FCC’s sudden about face on the basic principles of net neutrality. “The principle that all Internet content should be treated...
View ArticleTaking the Other Side in the Amazon/Hachette Debate
This post is likely to be unpopular. In April of 2012, I wrote “Why Should eBooks Cost $15” in response to the news that the Justice Department was suing Apple over price collusion with the book...
View ArticleWithout Aereo, How Will Traditional TV Be Disrupted?
After yesterday’s Supreme Court decision against Aereo, will traditional TV be disrupted? The First Phase of Disruption Already Started There has been a major shift away from appointment TV to...
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Venrock 7
My partners and I are thrilled to continue collaborating with fantastic entrepreneurs to help build enduring, iconic and meaningful companies. Last week, we completed the fundraising of Venrock 7, a...
View ArticleDollar Shave Club and the Modern Brands
Dollar Shave Club just celebrated its second birthday. In two short years, this modern men’s lifestyle company has captured about 9% of the U.S. men’s razor cartridge market, according to BGP Group....
View ArticleThe Artist’s Share
There is a commonality in the Hachette/Amazon and Spotify/Pandora/Recording Artist debates and it looks something like this: By not paying enough royalties to the licensor (book publisher, record...
View ArticleHere Is What Happens When Your Brand Doesn’t Know Its Customers
Watch the video, then click to see the hundreds of comments… Post by Gillette.
View ArticleA Sensible Approach To Net Neutrality by the FCC
Today, FCC Chairman Wheeler announced a sensible approach to ensuring that the internet will remain an open platform. Many folks in the traditional telecom and cable industries have described the use...
View ArticleBrian Williams and Abundance vs. Scarcity in Media
The physical world’s native economic basis is scarcity. Value is determined by demand for each item produced. If I make only five gold Ferraris and thousands of people are just dying to have one, the...
View ArticleA Few Lessons I’ve Learned
A young entrepreneur asked me a great question the other day, “What are some things you learned later in your career that you wish you knew earlier in your career?” I didn’t have a great answer at the...
View ArticleThe Inevitable Evolution of Online Sharing — Live Video Conversations
It’s been an incredibly exciting few weeks as the world comes to hear more about the latest category of social sharing — live mobile video. (Disclosure: we have been bullish on this space since our...
View ArticleHere is what Jay-Z should have launched with Tidal
“The transition from CDs to digital hasn’t worked well for the music industry. Sales are down and too many people listen to music without paying for it. We think that is because digital music is too...
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May I Have Your Attention, Please?
The currency of the media business is attention. So where are we spending it? (This post originally appeared on Medium.) The currency of the media business is attention. Those who have it have been...
View ArticleAmino: Communities For The Mobile-Only Generation
In the 1980s, those of us with personal computers used our Hayes Smartmodems to connect to bulletin board systems (BBS). These were electronic message boards that allowed people to chat asynchronously...
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The Auto Industry Won’t Create The Future
In the collision between consumer technology, cloud computing and cars, the legacy auto companies are lacking key ingredients for the future of the automobile. Here are the vectors for auto disruption....
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Should You Have To Buy A New Car to Get New Features?
Introducing our investment in Pearl, the first direct-to-consumer products company bringing safety, convenience, and eventually, autonomous driving features to your existing car. With more than 1.2...
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