How's the Media Industry These Days? Confused.

It’s no secret that the media industry has been high on the list of businesses that have been disrupted by the Internet and are struggling to find a new footing. For a few years, things appeared to be settling down a bit, as the music, written word, and video businesses seemed to be on promising digital paths. Record labels and artists were selling music on iTunes. TV networks sold new shows there and at Amazon, and sold old ones for streaming to Netflix. Big news organizations churned out iPad apps, and more started charging for their online content, even as some of their star journalists found they could fund their own breakaway sites.

Those tentative paths to digital stability, though, are either faltering, or at least coming under serious question. In their place, media companies and creators seem to be entering a new period of confusion, as the financial, technological and consumer behaviors they counted on are changing rapidly. How do I know this? I attended last week’s Code/Media conference and listened to speaker after speaker address these issues. The air of uncertainty was palpable.