Showbiz Sandbox 568: Catalog Music Dominates Consumption on Streaming Services

January 11, 2022

Last year consumers listened to more music than ever before. However, according to a report from the analytics firm MRC Data, catalog music, albums and songs at least 18 months old accounted for 75% of music listening on streaming services. When it came to new music, artists such as Morgan Wallen, Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and Doja Cat, dominated streaming services. Maybe there’s a reason big legacy acts keep selling their back catalogs.

Speaking of legacies, unfortunately the first week of 2022 saw a number of beloved and legendary entertainment figures die, including actor Sidney Poitier, comedian Bob Saget and filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including how a spike in COVID cases has canceled an in-person Sundance and indefinitely postponed the Grammy Awards. Meanwhile, the Golden Globes were announced and we’ll tell you who won and whether anyone actually cares.


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Showbiz Sandbox 533: Behind The Scenes At The Most Challenging Grammys Ever

March 16, 2021

Working within strict health and safety guidelines the producers of the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards telecast were uncertain how the show would come together or even when it would take place. David Wild knows this first hand. He was the lead writer and one of the producers on this year’s show. Wild joins us to detail all the challenges of pulling off music’s biggest night amidst a global pandemic.

Meanwhile, nods for outstanding achievements in motion pictures were announced en masse over the past week with the BAFTAs, Cesars, Directors Guild, American Society of Cinematographers and many more leading up to, finally, this year’s Oscar nominations.

Of course we also cover some of the week’s top entertainment headlines including a trip to this year’s Berlin Film Festival, how Drake is dominating the music charts and Disney+ continues its staggering growth.

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Showbiz Sandbox 225: Comcast and TimeWarner Cable Is A Marriage Made In….

February 17, 2014

The proposed merger of Comcast and TimeWarner Cable has presented industry analysts with a number of complicated questions. Providing some of the answers is David Gelles, a business reporter for the New York Times, who joins us to provide background and insight into a transformative $45 billion deal that would combine the two largest media and technology providers in North America.

Though there are no legislative restrictions, will the U.S. government try to prevent to the two cable giants from consolidating? What concessions will the regulators ask of Comcast if allowing the merger to go through? How will consolidation give Comcast leverage in negotiations with content providers? Would the combined companies have too much control over the media? Most importantly, what does all of this mean for consumers?

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, the BAFTA awards were handed out over the weekend to films with strong British ties. That wasn’t the case at the Berlin Film Festival where Chinese movies took home the top prizes.

Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show” debut, actress Ellen Page’s inspiring coming-out speech, and an update on actor Shia Labeouf’s latest performance art stunt.

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