New Intermediaries: Pandora
Reading this interesting piece on a new web-based recommendation engine, I had to think about the business model implications, especially the role of middlemen in innovative music business models. Besides that, Pandora is a good example of a remix business, as they use the APIs of e.g. Amazon and iTunes.
Well, this shows again that most roles and opportunities for Third-Parties in the media industry are not yet understood, leaving many chances for business model innovations on the table. These innovations may well be structural (like when such a new player enters and shakes up the value net), but they could also be of a strategic or competency-based flavour.
An example of the last one is e.g. Starbucks that leverages its customer relations and standing as a third-place to sell music in their coffee-shops.
