Showbiz Sandbox 421: How “Grand Theft Auto” Got Its Groove On
August 27, 2018
The popular video game franchise “Grand Theft Auto” has already made over $6 billion for its publisher Rockstar. Now as the game moves online its players have listened to 75 billion minutes of music. Players can stream 18 online radio stations as they make their way through the game and even buy a nightclub to book performances by major DJ’s like Black Madonna. It’s the latest digital revenue stream for record labels and artists as sales of physical media taper off.
Meanwhile, just as the Justice Department was set to investigate whether the Paramount Decrees are still necessary, a small movie theater operator in Texas is suing the world’s largest cinema chain, AMC, claiming they colluded with studios to prevent them from getting new releases. The case proves just how hard proving antitrust allegations can be.
In the United Kingdom a movement among actors to be treated more fairly during the audition process has turned into a campaign with its own hashtag; #YesorNo. Actors simply want to know whether they have gotten a role or not after an audition. Some say being ignored entirely is worse than being rejected.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including the final season of “The Big Bang Theory,” the Eagles break a sales record in a dubious fashion and Cuba Gooding, Jr. is headed to Broadway by way of “Chicago.”
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Showbiz Sandbox 417: On-Demand Surpasses Live TV Viewing
July 23, 2018
It seems as if we’ve been talking for a decade or more about how television viewing patterns are shifting. Audiences have eschewed live broadcasts for on-demand programming and in the United Kingdom, more households now subscribe to streaming services than traditional pay TV. Maybe that’s why niche sports like arm wrestling, archery and bull riding are all conducting their own streaming experiments.
In China, parents are requesting the government set up a ratings system for movies so they know what releases are appropriate for their children. Meanwhile, a new report claims of the 271 local movies released in China this year only 12 have made a profit.
And in the United Kingdom book sales were up last year which is good news for publishers. Unfortunately, authors didn’t see much in the way of a bump in pay. In fact, as the publishing industry’s profits rise, author’s incomes have declined to record lows.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including why Hollywood is so stressed out lately, the “Rugrats” movie and why Disney fired the director of their “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Showbiz Sandbox 125: Are Radio D.J.’s A Thing Of The Past?
November 7, 2011
Radio listenership has eroded over the past several years as consumers have adopted streaming music services such as Spotify and Pandora. To stay competitive and survive, Clear Channel, the nation’s largest radio station operator, shocked the industry this past week by firing dozens of local D.J.’s and replacing them with a national programming team. Indie-label artists and music fans are sure to suffer as radio playlists become more homogenized and less relevant.
Google has no plans to get into radio, however rumors have surfaced that they might be trying to add a cable television operation to their broadband project in Kansas. Launching and maintaining a cable television service is not exactly like running a search engine; it can be expensive, take years and ultimately lead to a lot of red ink.
Comedian Louis C.K. has shunned traditional cable altogether. He’s decided to broadcast his upcoming comedy concert directly to fans via the Internet, bypassing traditional television distribution.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
