In The Age of Social Media, Quality Prevails Over Marketing

In the pre-Internet entertainment business, access to the public was everything.  There were a handful of gatekeepers who decided what songs people would hear and which movies they would see.  If you couldn't get your project through one of those doors, it was unlikely anyone beyond your friends and family would ever experience your art.

Today, not only is it possible to get your music and films

Antitrust and the Cable Industry

I was recently contacted for an article for TechNewsWorld on the Justice Department's apparent antitrust investigation of the cable industry.  Below is the full text of the comments I sent to the reporter,  Erika Morphy.

It's a really good article and an interesting issue.  Take a couple minutes and give it a read.

My comments to Erika on the DOJ investigation:



This arises primarily as a

Hewlett-Packard - A Lesson In Why A Strategy Must Respect The Brand

First of all, it's nice to be back online.  I took several weeks off of blogging and tweeting to recharge my battery and simply observe for a while.  Time well spent.  I'll probably start getting back into things a little slowly.  Here's my first thought:

Hewlett-Packard's stock price suffered an historical drop this week.  I suppose they could point to general economic uncertainty, but no one

New Media Isn't New Anymore, But It's Definitely Different

I can't believe it's been several weeks since I posted.  Some periods in our lives are like that.  We get really busy and time flies by.  Technology is definitely changing the pace of our lives, including how we use media.  It's an impact that all of us in the entertainment business need to understand.

I went to a great program this week at the Screen Actors Guild.  It was a discussion of the

Mobile Convergence: The Single Device Solution

Earlier this month, Nielsen released the results of a study that shows consumers moving towards tablet devices, and away from laptops and eReaders.  I commented at the time that this isn't news, but it is an important trend that should not be ignored.

In a recent interview, Jeff Bezos wouldn't confirm that Amazon is going to release its own tablet, but he didn't deny it either.  He did indicate

How Do You Succeed In The Entertainment Business? Basic Economics

You learned everything you need to know about success in the entertainment industry the first two weeks of your junior year in high school.

About 7 months ago, I wrote a blog post about how to capitalize on emerging opportunities in the entertainment industry.  It turned out to be one of my more popular posts, and as I sit here 7 months later, I think I stand by everything I said.  Things are

"May You Live In Interesting Times..."

The Challenges of Deal-Making During A Digital Revolution


Clearly we live in interesting times; that's not news to anyone.  But being a lawyer, agent, executive or other deal-maker in the entertainment business over the past few years has been especially challenging. In addition to the economic downturn, many challenges are arising from the blurring of lines between the various methods of