Yesterday, we opened these couple of posts about Art Amsterdam Online and the digitalization of the art business with some general ideas. Today we want to dig deeper into the whole debate with focusing first of all on the plethora of digital initiatives we have seen in the art world over the last quarters. Why do they appear all of the sudden? What is driving these initiatives? Are they going to change the art world?
Let’s take a step back and try to put this in perspective. What is happening in the art business is not unique. In fact, the art industry is very late in reacting on the new digital reality. Since the first internet bubble in the late nineties, a lot of industries have experimented with the possibilities the growth of internet has created: from online book stores and travel agencies to online grocery stores, etc… as obvious examples. Not all of them were successful – especially not during the first years – and hardly one of them has pushed an old industry players completely out of the market. However, the ones that managed to make money have grown into strong modern brands, influencing the standard practices of their respective industries and often influencing the relationship between the company offering products or services and the consumer buying them.
Art Amsterdam Medialab 
