Oh there will still be middlemen in the entertainment industry. The difference is that instead of entertainers working for the middle men, once they reach a certain popularity, the middle men will work for the entertainers.
And really, this is nothing all that new. Musicians have been creating their own labels for decades, often selling as an imprint to larger labels.
I think the key takeaway here is the distribution model, not necessarily the organizational model. The Gaffigans and Radioheads and Louie CKs of the world don't have the organizational baggage that the big content producers have. They also don't have the supposed things to lose that the big producers have. So, they're freer to experiment.
I hope, and I'm sure many media consumers agree with me, that as these big acts begin to diverge from their former masters and build their own organizations, that the distribution model that survives long term is the one that doesn't ultimately attempt to screw over us consumers.
And really, this is nothing all that new. Musicians have been creating their own labels for decades, often selling as an imprint to larger labels.
I think the key takeaway here is the distribution model, not necessarily the organizational model. The Gaffigans and Radioheads and Louie CKs of the world don't have the organizational baggage that the big content producers have. They also don't have the supposed things to lose that the big producers have. So, they're freer to experiment.
I hope, and I'm sure many media consumers agree with me, that as these big acts begin to diverge from their former masters and build their own organizations, that the distribution model that survives long term is the one that doesn't ultimately attempt to screw over us consumers.
Time will tell, I suppose.