More about CNet buying MP3.com.

Apparently, it won't be another iTunes competitor - it'll be like a GameSpot for music. I have my doubts about the truth of this claim.

Remember when everyone thought MP3.com would be the birth of the revolution? Before it turned out that the music people submitted, well, sucked? As the article points out, the revolution really arrived with Napster.

Which illustrates that predicting where discontinuities is technology, business models, and consumer needs intersect is often counterintuitive - almost no one (especially on Wall Street) took Napster seriously until after millions of kids were already using it.

Oh yeah - they're gonna delete all the songs. It's just 'business'. No, it's not - it's myopia: here's a golden opportunity to earn massive loyalty with a huge number of people (by not deleting their songs). The beancounters can't see strategy this way - they're myopically focused on 'synergies'.