Audio-Digest Foundation: Moving the media world from CD to iPod

Audio-Digest Foundation: Past Issues

I use this company for my medical CME. I've previously described how I leverage my iPod to facilitate completing my CME requirements. My method works, but it would be more convenient for me to get my lectures via Audible.com rather than via CD. This is a revised version of an email I submitted to their site:

I am a subscriber -- FP Audio Digest. Love it. I (legally) import the CDs into iTunes, upload the track names to the iTunes DB service, and store the lectures on my iPod. I listen when traveling, working, driving, etc. The iPod now has about 80 lectures. A 30 minute lecture is 13MB; I think with a better codec the size would be about 6MB.

This works well, but it's inefficient. I wish you'd consider Audible.com, an Apple iTunes store distribution partner, as your distributor. This could be quite efficient for you, though I don't know if there's enough cash flow to motivate Audible (you know the numbers).

There are many possible approaches, but please consider the radical option:

1. Separate access to the audio from CME services. Users pay one price for access, another for CME (either per lecture or per series).
2. Subscribers get access to all lectures in their domain -- ex. FP Audio domain. (Remember, once the infrastructure is in place it costs very little to supply a lecture to a subscriber). Also sell lectures separately. This means you can make money not only from physicians, but also from interested laypersons.
2. Subscribers get CME credit only when they pay you, either on a subscription or per-lecture basis.

With this option you wouldn't have to mail me a CD. This ought to save you some money. This distribution model will also allow you to earn money from the large pool of non-physician interested laypersons.

The increased convenience is worth money to me as well, so you could charge me slightly more for the service (esp. if you provide access to 2-3 years of the FP Audio library).

Some lectures are, of course, much better than others. Audible supports user comments. I would actually prefer to pay for lectures and CME based on user comments rather than one price for all.

I have no commercial interest in Audible.com. It would just help me out. If you're a subscriber and like this idea, you can go to the Audio-Digest site and submit your comments.

I suppose if Audio-Digest doesn't take this up, I could always take a whack at this business myself :-). (Depends how bored I get, rather unlikely I'd say.)