The Digital-Only Sequel

A sequel to a successful film soundtrack isn’t a new idea, but the team behind “Juno” is tweaking the concept: the film’s second soundtrack — “Juno B-Sides” — will only be released in digital format.</p.

It’s an interesting move: ride a wave of popularity in a low-risk digital format. If the album doesn’t sell, the backers don’t have to deal with a warehouse full of “Juno B-Sides” CDs/coasters.

In a roundabout way, a digital-only release is a hybrid concept that plugs into the efficiencies of a long-tail mindset and the Web 2.0 beta ethos. Basically: the low cost of digital distribution gives companies the confidence to release an ancillary product (or any product, for that matter).

If you extend this thinking to book publishing, digital-only releases could be the domain of updated book chapters, fan fiction or “inspired-by” material, and editor’s picks that relate to a book’s core themes. It could also be a test-bed for weird or esoteric products (i.e. is there a market for “Juno in Esperanto”? Probably not … but you get the idea).

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