Actually, I don't see these stories as negative from the point of view that the sky is falling, and everything sucks and is dying, as much from the viewpoint that the business is in the middle of deep change and evolution. As with life, as one part dies, another is renewed.
That being said, the LA Times ran a story the other day showing how spending has declined in most sectors (not all) of the entertainment business.
Want to know the positive of the above graphic? Perhaps homogenized corporate entertainment has finally hit the wall.
It doesn't matter what form of entertainment, it has always been at it's most creative and vital when run by passionate fans. Television, the film industry, and the music business have all had their heydays when run by entrepreneurs that truly cared about the product and their customers. It's when those entrepreneurs are bought out by multinational companies and the suits take over that the product becomes watered down in the search for greater and greater profits. Sooner or later the product suffers to a degree that the consumer is no longer an automatic buy and becomes desensitized to the entire genre. Sound familiar?
The numbers on the chart above are actually a good thing. It signals the beginning of the end of an era for many facets of the entertainment industry. Soon big business will want to divest because the profits just aren't what they used to be (if they're still there at all), and we'll be back to an era of fan/entrepreneur/owner. We may not see it happen tomorrow, but we will see it happen eventually. And our entertainment will be much better for it.
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3 comments:
I think the biggest value in our new millenium is time. Having time to create something beautiful, having time to enjoy something beautiful.
If big business isn´t able to satisfy mass consumers it isn´t so bad in general their business goes downward. If you ears are too far away from the voices you should hear it is clear people will stop talking to you, investing time in your products. The real trendsetters were never mainstream orientated.
The only missing links are some sort of "quality agencies for cultural goods" because everyone has the right to have an opinion on everything. It is a good thing though, with only one big disadvantage.
You need quite some time to weed out the good from the bad and no "official source" can help you in this process.
But I hope it will enable some people to take care of their cultural needs and don´t be strongly influenced by mass media.
It all comes down to the matter of having time.
I still believe in one well done musical piece with lots of work in it rather than a LP with 10 ok-sounding tracks. But that´s ultimately up to the customer.
Sad times, good times. The big ones need to make room for enthusiasts. That´s something great. It isn´t said that only with a large budget you can impress people, especially in musical terms.
You bring up a very good point. In this pattern, soon art will be made for art's sake, not for the sake of money.
Unfortunately, this also means that more artists will need to go get a separate day job to support their creativity.
Like I always say - "Art you do for yourself. A craft you do for others."
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