Showbiz Sandbox 451: With Streaming On the Rise, Apple Kills iTunes

June 3, 2019

Before the iPod, when Napster was turning casual music fans into criminals, Apple saved the music industry by launching iTunes. What the music industry feared would enable people to organize the music they’d already stolen, actually allowed people to start buying digital music legally. Within a few years Apple became one of the largest music retailers in the world.

Now that the software seems to have outlived its purpose Apple will launch new apps to handle music, video, books and podcasts and the once iconic all-purpose library known as iTunes will disappear. It turns out this may also be a way to force consumers into signing up for Apple Music, the company’s music streaming service.

Meanwhile, the state of film and television production has been turned upside down in Georgia thanks to the passage of a new law restricting abortion. Studios, networks, producers, directors and actors must decide whether to continue shooting in Georgia and accept its tax subsidies, or boycott the state entirely.

Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including a record setting season on Broadway, the “Game of Thrones” creators dump their manager and the Oscars announced this year’s Governors Awards.

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Showbiz Sandbox 120: Netflix Must Adapt To A Hollywood It Helped Create

September 26, 2011

Ryan Lawler has spent the last two years writing about online video and digital media trends for GigaOm, a beat he’s covered for a number of publications. Who better to help us sort out what’s been going on with Netflix over the past two weeks? Despite a plunging stock price, slower subscriber growth and increased competition from the likes of Dish Network, Lawler says we shouldn’t be too worried about Netflix. He discusses what the future holds for the company during an in-depth interview.

Meanwhile, the fall television season was jumpstarted by “Two and a Half Men” as more than 28 million viewers tuned in to see Ashton Kutcher replace Charlie Sheen. Don’t feel too bad for Sheen though; he had 6.4 million people watching him get roasted over on Comedy Central and it appears he’s settling his lawsuit with Warner Bros. for a cool $25 million.

“The Lion King 3D” continues to dominate the worldwide box office, despite the fact that it’s a 17 year old movie that most have already seen. “Titanic” and “Top Gun” are already getting 3D makeovers, and it’s likely we’ll see studios reaching back into their archives to find even more titles.

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