Dive into the archives.
- The Chemistry of New Distribution
I was talking to the lovely Astra Taylor yesterday and as we both have music ties we got to talking about the common comparison between the record biz and the film industry. We agreed that the new ways have benefit for some artists but not all- they’re great for musicians who are able to take advantage of the bigger live audiences, who might enjoy having their work exposed in an ad or other commercial setting and who have fans who will buy the merch.
I won’t get into the various problems of this model for film- that’s its… [more]
- I want to rock and roll all night (and wake up in the gutter)
Ben from Shooting People was weighing the piracy issue a couple of weeks ago and its impact on independent filmmakers. The first dilemma is whether independent filmmakers can transition in the way indie bands have to be able to make money in other ways besides money for product transactions. In theory, this seems like it is the wave of the future- Robert Greenwald or Four Eyed Monsters-style. Filmmakers can, in theory, sell events versus selling DVDs, and potentially can make some money. No doubt touring in a bus is not as easy as having… [more]
- Here Comes… Trouble?
Clay Shirky’s new book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations is not specifically about media distribution (it’s more generally about how social networks and their emergence on the internet have affected culture and business development) but it does deliver this metaphor:When reproduction, distribution, and categorization were all difficult, as they were for the last five hundred years, we needed professionals to undertake these jobs, and we properly venerated these people for the service they performed. Now these tasks are simpler, and the earlier roles in some cases have become optional, and are sometimes obstacles… [more]
