Imagine running a marathon with a piano strapped to your back. It wouldn’t matter how long you trained or how much of a headstart you had, you would have a hard time going 26 steps, much less 26 miles.
Most traditional media companies in the digital space are running the content race under this kind of weight. They are carrying the old-era financial, cultural, and philosophical mindset on their backs. They are just as much out of place in digital as a marathon runner with a piano on his/her back.
Even the old ones that recognize the problem, won’t be able to run unless they throw off the whole piano. Taking off the legs and keys one-by-one won’t cut it; you either have something on your back, or you don’t.
New media companies are sleek, agile, and toned: they are built to run this marathon. In the end, it’s not even a competition. The new media companies are sprinting past the old ones who aren’t able to lose the overhead weight.
