"Remember Napster vs Metallica??"
Remember Napster vs Metallica??
That's what we used to call it back in the day. There is something the entertainment industry should have learned in that whole mess... no part of the entertainment industry is safe from innovation. If you aren't a part of it, you will lose to it... every time.
Right now we are poised on the brink of a paradigm shift in the industry. It has to fundamentally change its approach and underlying assumptions or lose big. It can't just keep paying for super productions and remakes while it relies on the same recipe for revenue. It has to innovate.
Why keep Cinema, Cable and VoD in competition when you can cross the streams? It's time for a new product. As times change, so does the medium and how, when and where people view media. I mean, let's face it. Where was the last place you viewed a movie? Where was the last place you viewed a new movie? These days, almost everyone's answer is different.
What's my solution? Well I don't think the Motion Picture Industry wants to hear the same sucking sound the Music Industry did when Napster came around. They are going to have to make the jump some how to OTT and get on the innovation trail, or their revenues will be sucked away by it. They are going to have to bridge the gap and bring everyone together in an amalgamation that is mutually beneficial to everyone and doesn't break any monopoly laws. The comparatively tiny amount they would spend Future Proofing will triple their Future income.
I'm not gonna give away my recipe to solve this dilemma, but I can tell you a few of the ingredients. Media Works are products, pure and simple. So for the sake of interpretation, let's liken Cinema, Cable and VoD to products in a bar. You have Liquor, Beer and Wine. You'll make great money selling those products. But... beer, shots and glasses of wine are not where the money is. The money is in Mixed Beverage Sales. It's what happens when you start combining those 3 basic products with an Additive. The sale of Mixed Beverages makes more money than the others combined and only uses a portion of each. Add those sales to your existing Beer, Liquor and Wine sales and realize the power of crossing the streams.
A Cinema/OTT Hybrid Series could easily be the Film Industry's first Margarita. That's not to say there won't be plenty of Long Island Iced Teas and Sex on the Beach's in our near future. But for the time being, and for the sake of product costs, let's start with the Rita. Let's go top shelf... It has Tequila, Triple Sec, and a Liqueur in it... but the trick is how you introduce the Additive and how much you use that makes the best taste for the highest salability. The Hybrid is that Additive.
The next step is serving it. For the best sales, you need it to look good. It has to be dressed properly. This is where you can add Garnish. We can liken that salty rim of the glass and the tasty lime you Garnish the drink with, to Brands. The Hybrid will be a perfect backdrop for Brands to seamlessly and perpetually integrate long term recurring placement. So place that fresh delicious lime with pride! You've just made a virally marketable hybrid product!
To sum it all up, I have always been an artist who bartended for a living. When I bought the bar to support my artistic endeavors, I learned some things that put everything in perspective for me. I have managed to put together a recipe with this Hybrid Prototype that can be used for any genre. I can show Industry Execs how to make it happen. I know I have put the ingredients out there enough that people will be making their own recipes soon. But everyone knows that not only do I have the best Rita's, my Bloody Mary's are to die for! (Horror reference ;) )