I Had Been Wondering ….
I had been wondering if the significant increase in media creators and distribution channels was meaning that the supply of entertainment was outstripping demand. I was wondering, for example, if the presence of more bands being able to be heard through more mediums means that there were fewer fans to enjoy any given band.
A recent report by the very focused Spencer Wang of Bears Stearns offers very conclusive data to what is feeling very much common sense right now. He found that over the years the increase of television options and distribution (such as cable, satellite, internet, etc.) led to a steady increase in the overall amount of watched programming. However, during that same period, that the existing audience of each particular outlet shrank just as consistently.
If this translates to other forms of mass entertainment, then for my question about music bands, the more bands there are the larger the worldwide audience is, but, on average, the smaller sized audience each will have.
This also confirms the expectation that more and more entertainers can find an audience, yet the chances of an epic blockbuster decrease every day.
This also means that entertainment providers will have fewer and fewer casual fans, but more dedicated fans.
This also means that mass media is dying waning and independent media is growing waxing.
But all this already feels like common sense.
I still don’t know what the role of expanding population has in this. Are there simply more people seeking entertainment or does the increased options means even more people have something that compels them?
