The problem at this point isn't a lack of PR, but an excess of it: ISDN should have done more work on OEN before launching it. OEN is clearly a work in progress, driven by a solid concept (on-demand, pay-per-use), but it isn't ready for public release. This is a disappointment, because a successful launch probably would have generated some serious interest in the company. But with the site launching prematurely -- with some bugs, a dramatic shortage of content, no advertising, no sales of music or related merchandise -- we are still left to wonder what exactly we've got in ISDN.
Frankly, I'm amazed that so few people have sold off these past few days. No volume at all at the end of last week, and modest selling this week. I'm glad to see that most of us still have confidence in the company's future prospects, even if the OEN launch was a dud.
I'm "keeping the faith" by concentrating on the technology, which continues to impress me. It'll be a hard sell because RealNetworks and Microsoft are both hitting hard in this market space, but ISDN really seems to be onto something with its streaming media, and I'm content to wait awhile to see how they'll use it to make money and operate a successful company.
I do have doubts about ISDN in the mass entertainment field. The online music industry is intensely competitive, and they'll really need to pick up the pace in order to compete with other players in this field. The on-demand video seems more open, and I'd like to think ISDN can insert itself in that field early enough to make an impact. OEN is in serious need of a major entertainment partner, a deal along the lines of RealNetworks and House of Blues. Without a partner like this, they simply won't have the depth of content (news, features, music, video) needed to compete in mass entertainment. How about Spin Magazine or MTV (whose online strategy completely baffles me)? I would also like to see them partner up with one of the Net portals: Yahoo!, Netscape, Excite, InfoSeek, Lycos. The portals have not yet been very aggressive in the entertainment field, so it may still be possible to strike a deal here before the other heavyweights lock in. They'd need a huge media partnership before being able to get a deal like this, though.
I'm disappointed with where we are right now -- had certainly hoped for more with the launch of OEN. But I still see many areas of potential growth for ISDN and so am remaining long.
Good day, all--. |
