user44: Are there specific, unique business models that have been made possible by the invention of Bitcoin?  And if so, what are they?
Edit:
I seem to be getting a lot of answers about the areas of industry that people hope and or predict Bitcoin will be great for.  That's all well and good, but it's not what I'm asking in this question.  What I'm curious to find are specific, unique-to-Bitcoin business models that did not and could not have existed before.  David Schwartz suggest there may be none (and he may be right), in which case there shouldn't be any answers here.  Please don't upvote answers which don't answer this question!
As a simple clarifying analogy, consider this question asked of the internet.  We can answer with things like "Pay per click advertising", MMO gaming, etc. because these things are specific, unique compared to anything that came before, and only possible due to the internet.  True, these have become entire industries, but they are industries that didn't exist in any form before the internet.  All I'm wondering is if anyone knows of any comparable things for Bitcoin.  I don't know of any, and I'm a fairly Bitcoin-aware guy.  That's why I asked.  Hopefully this clarifies the question.

user323: Hmm, I think the new business models enabled by Bitcoins would be the following:

Providing paid content on a website in exchange for using the customer's computer to mine while he or she is on the website. Imagine mining during the countdown on sites like Rapidshare used to generate revenue.
Providing both hardware and support for certain businesses in exchange for running mining software on the provided machines. Imagine providing a restaurant with a computer that runs their menu system. It is a simple operation that can be done entirely on a CPU. If you provide them a normal computer to run that, you can always install a good mining GPU in there, or an FGPA module. Your software can then run the miner in the background and generate you revenue. They are connected to the internet anyway (credit card processing), and you probably can request them not to turn their computers off (for night maintenance), so you effectively have a 24/7 miner.


user405: Business models which are prone to "chargeback fraud" or in which it is hard for merchants to know if the credit card being used for payment is stolen (if it is, the merchant loses out).
I have a friend who runs a VoIP origination/termination outfit that's pay-as-you-go (i.e. pay per minute) rather than monthly subscription.  That industry is absolutely inundated with chargeback/credit-card fraud; apparently one of the first things people do with stolen credit cards is make lots of VoIP calls.  The crazy (and often illogical) checks they have to put in place to minimize this are a gigantic inconvenience for their customers and a major expense for the company.  I think bitcoin will bring non-bulk-purchase per-minute VoIP rates down considerably.
Paypal was like this in the early days too -- a magnet for fraudsters.  The only way they brought it under control was to implement the (obnoxious) "security" measures that are in place now.
Basically any business where you aren't shipping a physical object to a physical street address is at risk of this kind of thing.  The steps that merchants need to take to minimize the level of fraud are byzantine, expensive, and cumbersome.  Bitcoin does not subject the merchant to these costs.  BitcoinTorrentz is another example; if they used credit cards it would be way too easy for somebody to pay for their service and then just issue a chargeback through their credit card company.  The sums of money involved are small and it's hard to prove to a bank that the service was actually delivered to the customer, so they'd likely lose every case (or spend more money fighting the case than it's worth).

user329: Any business model that requires micropayments is made a reality by Bitcoin (ie - tipping an artist for a song, buying an indy video game for $1, placing small bets on event prediction markets (betsofbitco.in), etc.
Furthermore, any business model that accepts high risk payments is helped by bitcoin, as chargebacks are impossible.
Various gambling systems can now occur without regard to arbitrary national laws.
Remittances are made vastly easier... send money without fees, forms, or time delay to any person anywhere in the world.

user436: bitlotto.com uses the blockchain to provide a cheat proof lottery which has never existed before.

user160: Selling electricity over the Internet. I am operating a quite powerful solar array in a sunny region where the connection to the grid is rather poor and does not allow me to feed back much. By placing some mining rigs there, I'm able to simply "sell" my excess electricity over the DSL line.

user347: The only thing I can think of is Mike Hearn's idea for Smart Property. This would allow the ownership of physical assets to be digitally exchanged and stored in the block chain. Other than that, I think Bitcoin mainly improves the efficiency of many, mainly digital, business models.

44: <p>Are there specific, unique business models that have been made possible by the invention of Bitcoin?  And if so, what are they?</p>

<p><strong>Edit:</strong></p>

<p>I seem to be getting a lot of answers about the areas of industry that people hope and or predict Bitcoin will be great for.  That's all well and good, but it's not what I'm asking in this question.  What I'm curious to find are <strong>specific, unique-to-Bitcoin</strong> business models that did not and could not have existed before.  David Schwartz suggest there may be none (and he may be right), in which case there shouldn't be any answers here.  <em>Please don't upvote answers which don't answer this question!</em></p>

<p>As a simple clarifying analogy, consider this question asked of the internet.  We can answer with things like "Pay per click advertising", MMO gaming, etc. because these things are specific, unique compared to anything that came before, and only possible due to the internet.  True, these have <em>become</em> entire industries, but they are industries that didn't exist in any form before the internet.  All I'm wondering is if anyone knows of any comparable things for Bitcoin.  I don't know of any, and I'm a fairly Bitcoin-aware guy.  <em>That's why I asked.</em>  Hopefully this clarifies the question.</p>
 323: <p>Hmm, I think the new business models enabled by Bitcoins would be the following:</p>

<ul>
<li>Providing paid content on a website in exchange for using the customer's computer to mine while he or she is on the website. Imagine mining during the countdown on sites like Rapidshare used to generate revenue.</li>
<li>Providing both hardware and support for certain businesses in exchange for running mining software on the provided machines. Imagine providing a restaurant with a computer that runs their menu system. It is a simple operation that can be done entirely on a CPU. If you provide them a normal computer to run that, you can always install a good mining GPU in there, or an FGPA module. Your software can then run the miner in the background and generate you revenue. They are connected to the internet anyway (credit card processing), and you probably can request them not to turn their computers off (for night maintenance), so you effectively have a 24/7 miner.</li>
</ul>
 405: <p>Business models which are prone to "<a href="http://www.merchantcouncil.org/merchant-account/fraud-chargeback/chargeback-fraud-illegitimate.php">chargeback fraud</a>" or in which it is hard for merchants to know if the credit card being used for payment is stolen (if it is, the <em>merchant</em> loses out).</p>

<p>I have a friend who runs a VoIP origination/termination outfit that's pay-as-you-go (i.e. pay per minute) rather than monthly subscription.  That industry is absolutely inundated with chargeback/credit-card fraud; apparently one of the first things people do with stolen credit cards is make lots of VoIP calls.  The crazy (and often illogical) checks they have to put in place to minimize this are a gigantic inconvenience for their customers and a major expense for the company.  <strong>I think bitcoin will bring non-bulk-purchase per-minute VoIP rates down considerably</strong>.</p>

<p>Paypal was like this in the early days too -- a magnet for fraudsters.  The only way they brought it under control was to implement the (obnoxious) "security" measures that are in place now.</p>

<p>Basically any business where you aren't shipping a physical object to a physical street address is at risk of this kind of thing.  The steps that merchants need to take to minimize the level of fraud are byzantine, expensive, and cumbersome.  Bitcoin does not subject the merchant to these costs.  <strong><a href="http://BitCoinTorrentz.com/">BitcoinTorrentz</a> is another example</strong>; if they used credit cards it would be way too easy for somebody to pay for their service and then just issue a chargeback through their credit card company.  The sums of money involved are small and it's hard to prove to a bank that the service was actually delivered to the customer, so they'd likely lose every case (or spend more money fighting the case than it's worth).</p>
 329: <p>Any business model that requires micropayments is made a reality by Bitcoin (ie - tipping an artist for a song, buying an indy video game for $1, placing small bets on event prediction markets (betsofbitco.in), etc.</p>

<p>Furthermore, any business model that accepts high risk payments is helped by bitcoin, as chargebacks are impossible.</p>

<p>Various gambling systems can now occur without regard to arbitrary national laws.</p>

<p>Remittances are made vastly easier... send money without fees, forms, or time delay to any person anywhere in the world.</p>
 436: <p>bitlotto.com uses the blockchain to provide a cheat proof lottery which has never existed before.</p>
 160: <p>Selling electricity over the Internet. I am operating a quite powerful solar array in a sunny region where the connection to the grid is rather poor and does not allow me to feed back much. By placing some mining rigs there, I'm able to simply "sell" my excess electricity over the DSL line.</p>
 347: <p>The only thing I can think of is Mike Hearn's idea for <a href="https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Smart_Property">Smart Property</a>. This would allow the ownership of physical assets to be digitally exchanged and stored in the block chain. Other than that, I think Bitcoin mainly improves the efficiency of many, mainly digital, business models.</p>
