People want it. How do you provide it?

What do people want that businesses provide? 

Something of value.

Value is something people need, want or desire (and in some form or fashion they attain it, consume it, experience it or buy it).

What is the price of that value?

The answer to that question is perpetually changing. 

Ladies and gentlemen yesteryear's business models that captured and determined the value of products and services is not the same today. 

Let's take music buying.  Just 8 years ago the value of a cd was $16 when purchased from say. . .a Tower Records (which ironically, is no longer in business).  On numerous occasions 70% of the album was a waste. You ended up on the short end of the stick because you spent 16$ for only 4 songs that you actually really liked (grrrrrrrr).

Fast forward to 2009.

An everyday scenario.  You buy only the 4 songs you like  for $.99 a piece (and forget the other ten you don't like). Now you've paid $4 total for the music you actually want - thanks itunes ;-). Now if you know about Amie Street you can even get whole albums for under $5.  Big difference from $16 (we could get into free downloads but that's another discussion entirely).

Now let's take a look at the currently deteriorating business model for newspapers:

• Advertisers buy ad space with print publications - they can buy a full page, a half page, or a quarter page ad.

• That money paid salaries and bills. This was the revenue for newspaper businesses. 

This system is now under assault. This model  is proving to be less and less viable with each day that passes. Its indicative of a new reality as some newspapers have stopped their print editions  entirely while others have simply gone out of business altogether.  Newspapers need a new type of value offering system.  The existing model is decrepit. 

The music and newspaper industries are just two examples (and the tip of the iceberg) of how priced value is no longer static.  Its changing and its going to take innovative thinking to determine new ways to provide value to the market (and get paid for it) in a way that people will love you for it, buy it and keep coming back for more.