When Legacy Business Models Attack
Don't expect stellar displays of logic when old, tired, and scared businesses try to use any trick they can find to attack an upstart. For instance, take a look at the National Association of Broadcaster's current line against the XM/Sirius merger:
Problem is, the only colorable argument against the merger is that it would create a monopoly for satellite radio. XM and Sirius cleverly (and probably accurately) headed that objection off by noting that satellite radio competes with a variety of technologies for the listener's ear. This put the NAB in an awkward position. The lobby would have to argue that despite its 15-year effort to derail satellite radio, satellite radio was not a competitor. Of course, the harder the NAB fights and the more money the NAB spends to promote this message, the clearer it becomes that the NAB fears the competition posed by an XM-Sirius alliance. In effect, the more the NAB fights the merger, the more it undermines its own argument against it.
I'm sure they'll think of something. In the meantime, I expect an uptick in subscriptions once this merger does go through.
