How the IPod changed my shopping habits

I got an IPod classic for Christmas, and over the last 90 days it is growing more apparent that the simple act of owning the IPod has changed how I transport, use, and consume media.

While it is fun to bemoan the lack of choices on ITunes or even on Amazon (where I can get MP3’s that are not on ITunes), there is one point that is not arguable, that point is that I have not bought any physical media in the last 60 days.

In the mean time I have spent some 300 dollars on ITunes and Amazon buying digital media. That is 300 dollars I did not spend at a local music store undercutting my desire to shop locally. That is 300 dollars I did not spend at the local video store that is 300 dollars I did not use to rent a movie. That is 300 dollars that went right to Apple and to Amazon Unbox for MP3’s that were not in the ITunes catalog.

Congratulations Apple and Amazon, guess where I am spending all my entertainment dollars, all to feed an Apple IPod classic. I could have spent more though.

I would have and could have easily spent twice what I did spend if the shows were available for download. Companies are losing money because I won’t buy something that won’t work on my choice of player, or that the player won’t deal with the format. The media producers walked away from at least 300 dollars because the media was not in ITunes or broken fundamentally in a format war that costs. That format war cost the media 300 dollars, think about it. There is 300 dollars on the table, and the media companies walked away from it.

No physical media, no visits to the stores, no reason to visit a physical store. Barely coping with the lack of back catalog music, non-existent movies I would spend money on, TV shows that are caught up in a pissing match that I would have bought (come on BSG). While I am busy not spending money on things that I would have spent money on if they were available, the facts are there. New IPod, money to spend, nowhere to spend it for some stuff, and a complete lack of desire to visit any store with physical media.

Life changing? Probably not, interesting, yes, if a diehard physical media owner like me can be won over by something as simple as the IPod, no wonder why the media companies are choking.