Throughout this country, in conference room after conference room and boardroom after boardroom, executives of content companies strategize how to respond to the alarming trends associated with owning physical media content. This has been mainly reflected in the downturn in CD and DVD sales. More recently, games have been added to the list. Many in the media industry are frustrated by the slower than forecasted growth of electronic sell-through or download to own content. And, specifically in the music industry, many are split between two ideologies for monetizing digital content – Ownership vs. Access.

While many believe that Spotify and/or Mog are going to transform the music industry and somehow replace the revenue from the fast eroding music purchaser, I am doubtful this approach will save the industry. Furthermore, this dialogue camouflages the true problems with digital sales. In the physical world, Ownership and Access are clear cut user experiences each with their own value proposition. In the Digital Age content is easily available through illegal file sharing, and digital ownership experiences are limited and governed in a way that challenges the integrity of the intended experience. Therefore, if media executives are committed to electronic sell-through or download to own content, they must re-examine how they define digital ownership and encourage meaningful innovations.