[Bruce Springsteen in concert via Flickr]

Sometimes it becomes easy to assume that the transformation of the
media and entertainment industry is driven by the Internet.

Take for example the super-serving of certain audience niches with highly targeted content.
To achieve this, the Internet breaks down the “power of the distribution pipe” and frees content from
intermediaries to reach very defined audiences.

Still, as an Internet professional, I constantly underestimate the vast changes that other media platforms have experienced lately.

Let me give you an example of the two ways I consumed music today where I was “super-served” to my taste.. and for once was not just following my radio paradise habit:
- In the car on the way to work I listened to Sirius radio and found a channel fully dedicated to Bruce Springsteen… by the way, I highly recommend the “e-street radio” to anyone driving into New Jersey
- While browsing through channels on TV I came across VH1 Classic’s 120 Minutes, which recreates the alternative videoclips program that I grew up adoring (E.g. a program would start with The Bleeders’ “Cannonball” followed by The Cure’s “Pictures of You”)

So what is going on here?
Well, one observation is that across different distribution platforms the emergence of digital is dramatically increasing choice and empowering the users.
The other, less obvious, is that I should not assume that the benefits of consumers deciding when and what to watch will be largely reaped by Internet users and Internet companies.

In other words, radio and TV are also improving their ability to target users. And I have so much choice that I can easily pick and choose content that targets my particular tast.

The ability to interact with content might not be there, and as the platforms converge, I will one day probably listen to music on my car using a Wi-Max connection and watch online content on TV without fussing with the laptop cables…

…but for now, I am one happy music fan that just rediscovered the pleasures of radio and TV… and the blissful state of mind of consuming content that I enjoy without touching a keyboard.