hollyblog guest blog banner
Consolidation is built into the nature of corporations. If some little upstart is eating into your market, it is easy enough to buy the upstart and add its market share to your own. Capitalism is a lot like Darwinism put a little fish in the path of a big fish, and the big fish is compelled by its nature to eat it.
But even as little fish are absorbed into big fish, more little fish are being born.
There was a time in contemporary music when there were dozens of iconic record labels, each of which had a distinct identity. Even people who dont follow music know what a Motown record sounded like. Asylum Records meant LA singer/songwriters (Jackson Browne, The Eagles, Linda Rondstadt); Stax Records was Memphis soul (Booker T. & the M.G.s, Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding); Island Records began as a reggae label (Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff); and Sire Records practically owned New York punk (Talking Heads, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Ramones).
Compare that to today, when Universal Music Group owns Capitol, Geffen, A&M, Interscope, Republic, Def Jam, Caroline, Decca, Verve as well as the catalogs of the long-gone Chess, Blue Thumb, 20th Century Fox, ABC, Chrysalis, Dot, Dunhill, Fantasy, IRS, Imperial, Mercury, MCA, MGM, EMI, Uni, Paramount, Shelter, Virgin and dozens more.
But while Universal and the other two majors Sony and Warners dominate the market, they are operating in a world where the barriers to entry have fallen away. In the 20th century, the majors stayed major because they controlled the means of distribution. To even get their records into many parts of the country, Indies had to make distribution deals with the majors.
In the 21st century, pressing plants and trucks dont count for much. Music is distributed through the internet and there is a recording studio in every laptop. If you are Adele or Bruno Mars, it makes sense to be on a major label. But in a TikTok world, the next hit single can come from anywhere YouTube, a Spotify playlist or a video game.
Story continues
It works that way across all media. Marvel Comics has been absorbed into Disney, as a feeder and R&D division, as DC Comics has been swallowed by WarnerMedia. The move of those old pulp businesses into international entertainment conglomerates has only encouraged small comic book companies to enter the marketplace. You never know where the next Hellboy or The Walking Dead is going to come from.
The accepted history of post-Bonnie & Clyde Hollywood is that the old studio bosses did not understand a world where Easy Rider did better than Hello Dolly! and in their confusion opened the door to a generation of rebels Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, Terrence Malick who revitalized American cinema for a few years until Jaws and Star Wars introduced the mass-release summer blockbuster and the revolution was squashed.
But was the underground really defeated? There are always new generations bringing new revolutions. Independent voices continued to emerge: Spike Lee, Jim Jarmusch and the Coen Brothers in the 80s; Allison Anders, Steven Soderbergh, Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson and Wes Anderson in the 90s. They often got their shots through new independents like Miramax and New Line, spiritual successors to BBS Productions and American Zoetrope.
The cycle of art reflects the cycle of life those who are rebels in their twenties may elect, by age 40, to join the system (Scorsese), drop out (Malick) or accept financial compromises in order to continue to work on the margins (Altman). There will always be new rebels, as long as there are new people turning 20, and dumbass bull-headed entrepreneurs willing to risk it all for odds-defying, out-of-the-box creative ideas!
Our studio, named after a lyric from a fiercely independent artist, Aimee Mann, is seeing and hearing these unapologetic voices emerge in the AVOD, podcast, short-form and even the SVOD space. In the sci-fi and horror genres (typically dominated by old white men with all due respect to that genre of human), Gunpowder & Sky has global FAST channels DUST and ALTER that both exhibit cinematic short films by widely diverse filmmakers from South Korea to Colombia. These novel pieces of IP are now migrating, and spinning off, to wider audiences in partnership with icons of the genres from Sam Raimi to James Wan to Stephen Spielberg who are recognizing how these creators are reminiscent of their own, louder, less categorizable selves.
I hope we, collectively, dont forget to provide a roof, the appropriate stimulants and fast food for the unmanageable freaks that will inevitably surprise and scare us. Sort of the way Steve Golin did with Propaganda, and David Geffen did with Asylum and Martin Goodman did with Marvel. These indie voices buoy diversity, move culture along and ultimately fill the pipes that feed content into homes worldwide. After all, if Spike Jonze had been justifiably ushered out of whatever workspace he was provided, I couldnt have helped make the Oscar-nominated (yes, no kidding) Jackass series and movies and lets be honest, the world wouldve been a sadder place without Steve-O.
Read original story You Cant Kill The Indies (Guest Blog) At TheWrap
Go here to read the rest:
You Cant Kill The Indies (Guest Blog) - Yahoo Entertainment
- Darwinists Devolve - Discovery Institute - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Darwin's fatal competition model - Times of Malta - February 11th, 2024 [February 11th, 2024]
- Bitcoin Halving Is Poised to Unleash Darwinism on Miners - CoinDesk - December 12th, 2023 [December 12th, 2023]
- David Gelernters Farewell to Darwinism - Discovery Institute - November 20th, 2023 [November 20th, 2023]
- Darwinizing the Universe: A Theory That Explains Everything ... - BreakPoint.org - November 20th, 2023 [November 20th, 2023]
- Science Lab: Evolving Dak, McCarthy on the attack - DallasCowboys.com - November 20th, 2023 [November 20th, 2023]
- How to ensure that all students have scientific literacy - Inside Higher Ed - August 14th, 2023 [August 14th, 2023]
- The Darwinism of timepieces - Manila Bulletin - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- ProSocial World: How the principles of evolution can create lasting ... - Science Daily - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- New National Museum of Wildlife Art exhibition announced - Buckrail - May 2nd, 2023 [May 2nd, 2023]
- Digital Darwinism: How To Build Future-fit Foundations For Business ... - The Drum - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- In Breath-Holding, Kate and a Croc Are Champions - Discovery Institute - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- How the principles of evolution can create lasting global change ... - Binghamton - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- What is essentialism? And how does it shape attitudes to transgender people and sexual diversity? - Phys.org - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Media CEO Says Writers Should Be Using AI to Churn Out 30-50 ... - Futurism - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Survival of the richest - Perspective Magazine - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Darwinism - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics - February 7th, 2023 [February 7th, 2023]
- Darwinism Theory of Evolution (With Criticism) | Biology - January 4th, 2023 [January 4th, 2023]
- Survival of the fittest | Definition, Applications, & Examples - December 25th, 2022 [December 25th, 2022]
- Naturalistic fallacy - Wikipedia - December 25th, 2022 [December 25th, 2022]
- Social Darwinism | Definition & Facts | Britannica - December 21st, 2022 [December 21st, 2022]
- Epigenetics Directs Genetics And Thats a Problem for Darwinism - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- Herbert Spencer | Biography, Social Darwinism, Survival of the Fittest ... - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Herbert Spencer and Social Darwinism - SciHi BlogSciHi Blog - November 27th, 2022 [November 27th, 2022]
- Epigenetics: Adaptation Without Darwinism CEH - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Is Darwinism a Theory in Crisis? | Evolution News - November 21st, 2022 [November 21st, 2022]
- Social Darwinism | Examples & History - Study.com - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Survival of the fittest - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Michael Behe: Game Over for Darwinism | Evolution News - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Gnter Bechlys Journey to Faith - Discovery Institute - October 13th, 2022 [October 13th, 2022]
- Gene Sharing Is More Widespread than Thought | Evolution News - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- The Complicated Legacy of Herbert Spencer, the Man Who Coined 'Survival ... - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Darwinian Racism, Past and Present - Discovery Institute - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- God Created Wholes, Not Parts | Peter J. Leithart - First Things - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Does Ian Remind Us We're in This Together? - LA Progressive - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- A Pleasure to Serve - by Kevin D. Williamson - The Dispatch - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Opinion: Darwin, mega trends and tech drive food and beverage venture investing - FoodBev.com - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- The mad, bad and dangerous theories of Thomas Henry Huxley - The Spectator - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Emily Whitten: Start with evolution | WORLD - WORLD News Group - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- The Fading All-American Story - Word and Way - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- What did the U.S. know about the Holocaust and when did we know it? - Forward - September 20th, 2022 [September 20th, 2022]
- What now for the British monarchy and its legacy for First Nations people? - National Indigenous Times - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- Why Darwin Eclipsed Wallace: Darwin and the English Class System - Discovery Institute - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Michael Behe Debates Evolution and Catholicism - Discovery Institute - August 25th, 2022 [August 25th, 2022]
- Critical Race Theory's Merchants of Doubt | Time - TIME - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Survival of the briefest | Strictly Opinion | richmondregister.com - Richmond Register - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Critical Race Theorys Merchants of Doubt - Yahoo News - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Experts Share Opinions on Aliens and Humanity's Role in Space Exploration - The Future of Things - July 27th, 2022 [July 27th, 2022]
- Gnter Bechly: Species Pairs Wreck Darwinism - Discovery Institute - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Donate Darwinism for a Tax Credit? Evolutionists Admit Their Field's Failures - Discovery Institute - July 3rd, 2022 [July 3rd, 2022]
- Do we need a new theory of evolution? - The Guardian - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- Overruling Roe v. Wade: The International Dimension - International Policy Digest - June 30th, 2022 [June 30th, 2022]
- On Darwinism and the Abdication of Reason - Discovery Institute - June 22nd, 2022 [June 22nd, 2022]
- Fact-Checking Professor Dave on Darwinism | Evolution News - June 5th, 2022 [June 5th, 2022]
- Texas Conservatives: Defenders Of Capitalism And The Free Market? Not So Much - Reform Austin - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Humans Could Go Extinct. Here's How and Who's Trying to Stop It - CNET - May 25th, 2022 [May 25th, 2022]
- Darwin, Galton, and Replacement Theory - Discovery Institute - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- UPES takes the lead in rebooting business education and entrepreneurship - Times of India - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- The implementation of brand safety is weak in India: MMA Impact India 2022 - The Financial Express - May 21st, 2022 [May 21st, 2022]
- The Real Roots of Racism: Pseudo-Science - Discovery Institute - May 13th, 2022 [May 13th, 2022]
- How We Moved Beyond Darwin to the Miracle of Man - Discovery Institute - May 13th, 2022 [May 13th, 2022]
- Opinion | Courage Seemed to be Dead. Then Came Zelensky. - The New York Times - May 13th, 2022 [May 13th, 2022]
- As PopSci turns 150, we reflect on the highs and lows of our long history - Popular Science - May 3rd, 2022 [May 3rd, 2022]
- "RB takes Darwinism very seriously" Lando Norris doesn't think highly of Red Bull driver programme; Carlos... - The Sportsrush - April 29th, 2022 [April 29th, 2022]
- Darwinism and the So What? Question: John West's Darwin Day in America - Discovery Institute - March 27th, 2022 [March 27th, 2022]
- Andrew Carnegie - Social Darwinism & Andrew Carnegie - March 23rd, 2022 [March 23rd, 2022]
- The Rise of Theistic Darwinism - Discovery Institute - March 23rd, 2022 [March 23rd, 2022]
- The Racism of Darwin and Darwinism - Discovery Institute - February 11th, 2022 [February 11th, 2022]
- Darwin's Rhetorical Foundation of Sand: Theological Utilitarianism - Discovery Institute - February 11th, 2022 [February 11th, 2022]
- Darwin's Reticence: On the Origin of a Book - Discovery Institute - February 11th, 2022 [February 11th, 2022]
- Evolutionary Thinking: On Darwinism, Doubt and Dunedin - RNZ - February 11th, 2022 [February 11th, 2022]
- Top Scientific Problems with Evolution - Discovery Institute - February 11th, 2022 [February 11th, 2022]
- Allowing 'Darwinism to Kill Off' the 'Foolish' Unvaccinated is a 'Necessary Evil,' According to a D.C. Mayor's Office official - The Lee Daily... - February 7th, 2022 [February 7th, 2022]
- Darwin and the Newtonian Metanarrative - Discovery Institute - January 30th, 2022 [January 30th, 2022]
- Social Darwinism - Communication Theory - December 29th, 2021 [December 29th, 2021]
- The Dead Talk Back to Darwin - Discovery Institute - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- Materialist Science as Paternalistic Propaganda - Discovery Institute - December 15th, 2021 [December 15th, 2021]
- Why Darwinism Is False | Discovery Institute - December 3rd, 2021 [December 3rd, 2021]
- Herbert Spencer: Theory & Social Darwinism - Video ... - December 3rd, 2021 [December 3rd, 2021]
- Social Welfare History Project Social Darwinism and the Poor - November 28th, 2021 [November 28th, 2021]