Worrying though it is, the deal may push publishers to abandon digital-rights management (DRM), notes Matteo Berlucchi, head of Anobii, a literary social-networking site.

ECONOMIST: A print bookseller tries to survive in a digital age

Nick Gibson of Games Investor, a consultancy, notes that as costs rise, risk-averse games publishers regard film franchises as a safe bet.

ECONOMIST: Video games

He notes that over-the-air radio broadcasters pay a fee to publishers, but not to the artists.

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