Showbiz Sandbox 589: Should Music Be Produced and Sold Like Fine Art?
July 20, 2022
In an effort to make music valuable again, producer T Bone Burnett is getting behind a technology that allowed him and Bob Dylan to create a one-off re-recording of “Blowin’ In The Wind” and then auction it off for $1.8 million. But can recordings be treated the same way as paintings are in the art world? If musicians limit the reproduction of their work will it really become more valuable?
Meanwhile the Emmy Award nominations were announced last week with hit series from HBO and HBO Max helping the network garner 140 nods. Netflix made history with “Squid Game” becoming the first non-English language show to be nominated for Best Drama Series.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment headlines including why comedian Lewis Black is suing Pandora, the reason Shawn Mendes is pausing his world tour and how Iran is jailing its leading film directors.
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Showbiz Sandbox 412: Canceling “Roseanne” Was A No Brainer for ABC
June 4, 2018
Never before has a major broadcast network canceled a number one rated television show, let alone done so within hours of a brewing controversy sparked by one of its stars. Yet that’s exactly what happened last week when a racist tweet from Roseanne Barr caused ABC to ax the popular reboot of her eponymous hit sitcom. What’s remarkable is not only the unprecedented nature of the move, but more so the speed at which the decision was made and carried out.
Meanwhile the Tony Awards are being held next week to honor the best new Broadway productions, however there is little suspense over who will win since it’s already seen as a foregone conclusion. That’s why we look ahead to next year’s theater season and tell you which shows we’d back as investors.
And MoviePass is once again in the news, though this time it’s not for their subscription movie ticket service but rather a film they are co-distributing in North America. Turns out they may have an indie-hit on their hands.
Of course we also cover the week’s top entertainment news including why YouTube stars are so stressed out, how much Taylor Swift is raking in with her latest tour and Neil Portnow will step down as the head of the Recording Academy.
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Showbiz Sandbox 277: CinemaCon Predicts A Bright Future For Moviegoing
April 27, 2015
When theater owners and film distributors from around the world convened last week for CinemaCon in Las Vegas they were presented with a slate of upcoming blockbusters and cutting edge innovations which forecast an optimistic future for the industry. After ending last year with the most depressed box office returns in recent memory, 2015 is shaping up to break all records with at least four films potentially grossing more than a billion dollars.
Adding to the optimistic outlook are emerging technologies that enhance the experience of going to the cinema. Upgrades such as immersive sound, laser projection and high dynamic range may help lure certain demographics back to theaters. Teenagers and young adults, for instance, have seen declining attendance since 2007 as the number of on-demand entertainment options began expanding.
Meanwhile, cable giant Comcast called off its $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable after government agencies informed the company they would actively work to block the merger. Regulators believed the deal, which many feared but felt would ultimately be approved, might allow Comcast to dominate not just cable television, but more importantly high speed Internet access.
Of course, we also cover the week’s top entertainment news stories including the end of “Sabado Gigante”, how WikiLeaks got involved in the Sony cyberattack and Netflix just keeps growing.
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