Between papers here at my MBA program at Vandy, its always cool to check my RSS feeds and see an article like his that says what we’ve been saying all along; 20-somethings are the next great business tool.

I’ll let you read the entire article (click here >>) but there was a snippet I wanted to point out:

“Of course, not every Gen Yer we’ve met is hankering to be an entrepreneur, but many still want to change the world through where and how they work, exuding an optimism more reminiscent of the 1950s than any other era in recent memory.”

It feels great to be an MBA student at this period of time and to anyone who is wondering if ambition is worth it, just ask Jack and he’ll tell you it absolutely is.

PS: In case you’re wondering; exams are next week – wish me luck!

Technorati Tags: Gen Y, Jack Welsh, MBA

Despite Chairman Howard Schultz’s promises to keep it “about the coffee”, this move seems to confirm what most of us already know for some time now; Starbucks is trying to leverage its massive 9,400 store network into a media distribution network.

With McCartney on board, look for artists of all shapes and colors to undoubtedly sign on to this new venture, doing to decent music what Starbucks has previously done to decent coffee.

You’ll recall Starbucks’ success with that Ray Charles album emboldened them to tap into an apparently undersold adult yuppie music lover too lazy to go to a music store or download iTunes.

Now, I don’t fear this because McCartney’s music sub-par. In fact, I fear it for the exact opposite reason.

We’ve seen how a massive distribution network like Wal-Mart can force suppliers to tailor their products, including shaping media like CD’s & DVD’s. I fear that this new move by Starbucks will only further mar the cultural diversity in this country and zap its creative personality until we are all a bunch of mindless, caffeine-addicted, soft pop-listening sycophants!

That being said, watch this particular blog posting come back to bite me in the {explicative deleted} when I am just getting out of business school, attempting to get a job with them.

The facts are this:

• Viacom is the owner of MTV, Comedy Central DreamWorks Entertainment and a whole host of other media outlets coveted by 20-something’s.
• Viacom is claiming that YouTube, the popular video sharing site owned by Google, is not doing enough to remove copyrighted content like whole episodes of South Park or The Daily Show.
• Google/YouTube says it is doing enough, citing that since it removes clips on demand, it is protected by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998.

The interesting part of this argument is that of course, this isn’t about copyrights as much as it is about revenue.

Viacom makes their money off of advertisers who pay them to run their ads alongside popular content. YouTube makes its money off of advertisers who sponsor click-through ads that are positioned near or adjacent to their video windows. Every time someone posts a Viacom video on YouTube, it makes it more likely that advertisers will shift their money to the video sharing site, leaving Viacom with the tab of actually producing that content. But wait…isn’t that the very purpose of copyright law; to protect the content producer? Yes and No.

Yes, Viacom certainly has a fair claim that they are loosing revenue to Google/YouTube. In fact, according to today’s Wall Street Journal, top advertisers are shifting billions of dollars out of traditional media like known as radio, TV and print publications. They are instead choosing to plow that money into alternative media outlets like online ads, including those on sites that re-publish other’s content, like YouTube.

The other side of this coin is that as consumers change their media consumption habits, so should media companies change their tactics to derive revenue from those who seek to market to them. We’ve already seen how this is done by some major broadcast networks including Disney’s ABC and NBC Universal’s NBC.

They recognize that users want to see content online, for free. Instead of running away from this trend or putting up roadblocks, they are spurring it on by setting up ways for viewers to see their favorite shows while simultaneously creating new revenue opportunities for advertisers.

Viacom isn’t wrong, they are missing the point. Google/YouTube should be doing more to prevent copyrighted content from being posted however Viacom needs to stop kidding itself. If users are unable to access the free content from Google/YouTube, like water wearing a path around a rock, they will find a way to get it somewhere else.

The point, dear friends, is that consumers are on the side of YouTube and Viacom could probably spend less time trying to change with consumers, rather than trying to fight them.

Show Notes:
I) Intro, Welcome to New Listeners From Talent Zoo
II) My Made Up Fable
III) Marketing News
IV) The Frustration of Services Marketing
V) Game Plan: Try Relaxing…I Hear Its Good For You

Referenced Links:
DCBuzz Kick Off Party Pictures – See What The Buzz Was About!
TalentZoo.com – Our New Career & Broadcast Partner
20SMF Listener Survey –Take Our Listener Survey

Podsafe Music:
Jody Byrd – In The Doing

Podcast:

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Show Notes:
I) Too Much Work…Must Do Show…
II) Wal-Mart to Bankers: “S*** It”
III) McDonald’s to Eric Schlosser:  “Supersize My PR Dust”
IV) Game Plan: Life Sucks So Enjoy It!

Referenced Links:
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Podcast:

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Show Notes:
I) What did you do to the host?
II) Entrepreneurs
III) The Spector of Real Life