The Tricky, Annoying Confusing World of Media (Old or New)

Drew of Rocketboom writes in his blog today about having to step away from some kind of deal with Microsoft about the Zune. While the details of the would-have-been agreement aren't clear, the wording makes it clear it's never easy dealing as a significant player in the media space. If you control eyeballs, those who want and need eyeballs will flock to you. I guess the difference between the Big EyeballSeekers and the Small ones is that the big ones carry a long list of conditions they want fulfilled before they'll play ball. It's up to you, as the gatekeeper to your eyeballs, to decide what conditions you can stomach. It sucks that sometimes (like this) you have to walk away, but I'm happy to see New Media folks buckling down and holding on to integrity over a quick buck.

Again, having no real info on any said deal, I wonder who stood to benefit the most, Zune or Rocketboom? On the one hand, getting mentioned by Microsoft might be worth a lot of eyeballs... but I'd think the credibility of probably THE major vidcast giving you a thumbs-up would have been golden for the Zune.

Anyway, kudos to Drew, regardless of how painful it was. Next time, the deal'll feel better.