Amazon.com Celebrates With Dylan
Amazon.com celebrated its 10th anniversary with an all-star lineup that included rock legend Bob Dylan and singing sensation Norah Jones, and streamed the event live to its Web site.
"Dylan live on your computer. I remember it was a big deal when he went electric," cracked comedian-host Bill Maher.
The lineup made clear that Seattle-based Amazon is "finally making some money," Maher told his audience Saturday, made up of 2,500 employees and guests of the Internet's top retailer.
To mark Amazon's beginnings as an online bookstore, best-selling authors James Patterson, Jim Collins and Daniel Handler also were on hand, along with screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, best known for "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
Dylan and Jones each performed some of their best-known songs, and then charmed the crowd with a duet of Dylan's "I Shall Be Released."
Handler, who apologized that his literary alter ego Lemony Snicket could not be present, accompanied himself on accordion for a song about Count Orloff, the main character in the "A Series of Unfortunate Events" series.
Amazon has nearly 49 million active customers. They bought more electronics during last year's holiday blitz than books, a first for the company.
With $6.92 billion in sales in 2004, Amazon ranked at the top of Internet Retailer's annual top 400 list, well ahead of computer maker Dell Inc., which posted $3.25 billion in online business-to-consumer sales. Office Depot Inc., which has a partnership with Amazon, wasn't far behind with $3.1 billion.
Amazon first ventured beyond books when it added music and DVDs in 1998. Electronics, toys, games, home improvement items, software and video games came a year later. Today it has 31 product categories and does business in seven countries.
International sales accounted for nearly half the company's revenue last year, and founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has vowed to continue expanding overseas.
Analysts say Amazon has won over the masses with its vast selection, a brand name everyone knows, a site that's easy to navigate and a reputation for reliability.
"They've developed an extremely loyal customer base, and they've cultivated that by continually lowering prices and adding features to their Web site," said Dan Geiman, an analyst with McAdams Wright Ragen in Seattle.