The musical group “fun.” enjoyed watching its hit “We Are Young” sit atop Billboard’s Top 100 for six weeks. When the group decided to release the single in the U.K., it learned that 18 different knockoff versions of the song were already selling their and being downloaded off iTunes. It had to rush the song into release ahead of schedule for fear of losing the market completely.

 

These are not knockoffs like those the software and hardware businesses face; rather these are knockoffs of the original content but by people who make no pretense of being the original musicians. The fashion industry has faced this issue, as lower-priced stores create their own versions of runway fashion, putting the products in stores before the original designers get theirs to market. The idea of “rolling out” any product slowly around the world is anachronistic.

Share this post
Twitter Facebook Linkedin