ASPs — Masters of the Internet: "A master ASP acts as a kind of wholesaler of application functionality. Partners configure the appropriate functionality for delivery to customers, either tailored to a specific vertical market or customised to an individual client. The partner usually has the option of branding the offering as their own, and sometimes add complementary functions or services. They may also have the option of providing frontline support and customer service elements, such as first-level helpdesk, billing and account management."

The case has already convincingly been made that small payments for online services or content are a burden to their growth. Right now, most of the paying options we report the introduction of, have small price tags that are not easy to factor in and arbitrate, if only because shelling a few bucks online with a credit card is not the way most corporations spend their budgets. Similarly, if you look at how AOL is successful at charging users for a whole online experience made of a lot of small bits, you might take it as a case where bundling eases the act of actually getting money out of the wallets of customers, into the wallets of service and content providers.

Beyond the current wave of individual sites trying to charge access or use, I think we'll see the emergence of intermediaries that will let you pick and choose the pieces you want, and will take charge of functions such as billing or first level customer support. Maybe Yahoo or CNet (as an evolution of Webware?) or someone new will try and make that happen. Without some kind of aggegration, people might not buy anything at all, for fear of losing control of their overall online bills.