Google getting into the music business (more categories to come)

Today I made a search for artist “Isaac Hayes”. The first result in Google took me to a list of albums, which in turn took me to a page where I could buy the album through three different resellers. All was done through Google corporate looking webpages, within the Google loop. I assume thus that Google is already getting a cut out of music albums…I knew it wouldn’t take long.

This is the real power of search engines, and the real power of affiliate marketing. Imagine what this can do for Google’s coffers in the long term, when they get a commission for every single item we buy online, from wine to jelewery to insurance.

In a way, Google is already becoming the “Walmart” of the web. And as Walmart and others do, it won’t take long before they squeeze the margins of their providers to get maximum profit themselves, because they are the main gateway to consumers. Such is their power.

“Being the main gateway for users towards information: interesting. Becoming the main gateway for consumers towards the products they want to buy online: priceless!”

(Hint for future posts: imagine a future in which not only sposored ads are advertising…but every single search result is also a paid listing. Who could stop Google doing this?)

June 3, 2008 · Filed Under Analysis, Business, E-business, Future, Interesting tidbits, Internet, Marketing, Mobile

Comments

Leave a Reply