Cultural Industries - Factsheet 168

Factsheet 168

1) What does the term 'Cultural Industries' actually refer to?

It refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature.

2) What does Hesmondhalgh identify regarding the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable?

Hesmondhalgh identifies that the societies in which the cultural industries are highly profitable tend to be societies that support the conditions where large companies, and their political allies, make money.

3) Why do some media products offer ideologies that challenge capitalism or inequalities in society?

This happens because the cultural industry companies need to continuously compete with each other to secure audience members. As such, companies outdo each other to try and satisfy audience desires for the shocking, profane or rebellious. There are also longstanding social expectations about what art and entertainment should do, and challenging the various institutions of society is one of those expectations.

4) Look at page 2 of the factsheet. What are the problems that Hesmondhalgh identifies with regards to the cultural industries?

- Risky business
- Creativity versus commerce
- High production costs and low reproduction costs
- Semi-public goods; the need to create scarcity

5) Why are so many cultural industries a 'risky business' for the companies involved?

The cultural industry company is reliant on other cultural industry companies to make audiences aware of the existence of a new product or of the uses and pleasure that they might get from experiencing the product. Companies cannot completely control the publicity a product will receive, as judgements and reactions of audiences, critics and journalists etc. cannot accurately be predicted. This could make it difficult to achieve high levels of profit for independent or individual companies.

6) What is your opinion on the creativity v commerce debate? Should the media be all about profit or are media products a form of artistic expression that play an important role in society?

I think that these two factors are equally important as they depend on eachother, for example, if the media was all about profit, in order to achieve this, it would also have to produce products that are artistic and have value in society in order for consumers to enjoy it. If media producers are not making content that the audience doesnt like or want to see, producers will generate low sales revenue, therefore their profits would be low. In order to produce media products that show an artistic expression, producers must also generate high profits otherwise they will not be able to fund the production costs.

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits?

Cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise profits through vertical integration. Vertical integration is when a media company owns a range of businesses in the same chain of production and distribution. For example, a company might own the film studio that makes a film, the distributors that sell it to cinemas and then the movie channel that premieres it on TV which allows companies to reduce costs and increase profits. It also helps minimise risks as it guarantees that the product will reach large audiences and is made available to consumers.

8) Do you agree that the way the cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustices of wider society? Should the content creators, the creative minds behind media products, be better rewarded for their work?

I agree that the way cultural industries operate reflects the inequalities and injustice of a wider society as although there is some coverage of lower classes, the focus tends to be on higher classes.I believe that content creators should be better rewarded for their work as they are paid significantly lower than actors who usually earn at least triple what directors do. I think this is unfair as part of the reasonn they are paid so much more is simply because of their name and popularity in the industry. Content producer deserve higher rewards as without them, a lot of media content that we have now wouldnt exist, and stars depend on their create work in order to continue working and earning money.

9) Listen and read the transcript to the opening 9 minutes of the Freakonomics podcast - No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry. Why has the visual effects industry suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies?

The visual effects industry has suffered despite the huge budgets for most Hollywood movies due to Rhythm and Hughes facing severe financial difficulties.

10) What is commodification?

This is the transforming of objects and services into commodities. At its most basic level, it involves producing things not only for use, but also for exchange.

11) Do you agree with the argument that while there are a huge number of media texts created, they fail to reflect the diversity of people or opinion in wider society?

I agree as when you look at newspaper headlines they are usually all based around the same topic with the exception of a few. The fact that some companies also own so many smaller individual companies, or use vertical integration also means that opinions are not diverse as audiences are being fed the same viewpoint over and over again without us realising.

MIGRAIN: Industries - Ownership and Control

1) Conglomerate: Disney
    Best Known For: Books, films, theme parks
    Vertical Intergration: Disney world, disney land, disney channel
    Horizontal Intergration: ABC and Hulu
    Synergy: Theme parks, disney games, merchandise(eg: toys, costumes etc)
    Diversification: Freeform and ESPN
   
2) Do you agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant? Write an argument that looks at both sides of this debate.

I strongly agree that governments should prevent media conglomerates from becoming too dominant as it gives them power over such a large amount of people which can be misused, for example it could be used to portray certain political or ethical views which would then impact how their audiences perceive things in real life. What we see broadcasted could also be misleading as we wont know what is true or not as the media conglomerates might be biased.

3) Briefly describe the production, promotion and distribution process for media companies.

Production - provides audiences with the media products they want. It needs to consider the audience’s desires and should provide the gratifications the audience expects.

Promotion - researches and identifies the target audience for the product, and uses advertising and marketing strategies to inform and persuade them of the value of the media product.

Distribution - process uses the most appropriate methods for getting the product to the audience
and making it as easy as possible for them to access it.

4) What are the different funding models for media institutions?

Different institutions have different models of income generation. These different business models
and potential income streams will impact on the way each institution produces, markets and distributes its products. For example, the BBC is funded by a licence fee and it has a public service
remit, it is more likely to screen programmes with a regional interest than other broadcasters. Other funding models are: ITV, Sky One and The MailOnline.

5) The article gives a lot of examples of major media brands and companies. Choose three examples from the article and summarise what the writer is saying about each of them. 

Disney - A family friendly brand that focuses on children’s entertainment. It created iconic logos such as the dream castle, Walt Disney’s signature and Mickey’s ears, which allow audiences to recognise the brand.

Marvel - Developed from its hugely popular original comic book publications. It is jointly owned by Sony, Disney and Fox Marvel and produces superhero movies.

Spotify - A music streaming and downloading service where customers do not have to pay and can listen with ads, or pay monthly for a subscription to listen to music without ads.

6) What examples are provided of the new business models media companies have had to adopt due to changes in technology and distribution?

The fragmentation of modern audiences and the rise of ‘free culture’ means that all institutions

are now having to reconsider their business models, for example, the movie industry has invested enormous sums of money into 3D technology, in order to encourage audiences into cinemas.

7) Re-read the section on 'The Future'. What examples are discussed of technology companies becoming major media institutions?

One example given is Google and how it now owns YouTube, and has revolutionised the way we access music and moving-image entertainment and information.

8) Do you agree with the view that traditional media institutions are struggling to survive?

I disagree as although technology is becoming more advanced and there are new business models, many institutions are keeping up to date with this and adapting as trends change, such as some cinemas showing 4D movies and the music industry creating online services as well as sharing it traditionally through CD's and vinyls.

9) How might diversification or vertical integration help companies to survive and thrive in a rapidly changing media landscape?

It allows them to reach larger audiences with their view and content through other companies which will allow them to expand and generate higher revenues and re-invest.

10) How do YOU see the relationship between audience and institution in the future? Will audiences gain increasing power or will the major global media conglomerates maintain their control?

I think it could go two ways - audience and institutions could grow together and become dependant on eachother or the audience might begin to increase the amount of control they have as the media has to produce content that viewers want to see. 

MIGRAIN: Industries - Regulation

Factsheet 128

1) What is regulation and why do media industries need to be regulated?
Systems of regulation are required to provide rules and regulations to ensure that organisations operate fairly. In the media industry there are several regulatory bodies that exist to monitor the way that their industries work - OFCOM – the Office of Communication (for broadcast media like radio and tv), Advertising Standards Authority ( for the advertising industry) and Independent Press Standards Organisation (for newspapers). There is also the Authority for Television On Demand which is used to regulate on demand services.

Media industries need to be regulated to prevent young people from obtaining material that is unsuitable for them. Regulation was also introduced to govern how the video rental market should work.

2) What is OFCOM responsible for?

The OFice of COMunication (OFCOM) is responsible for regulating television, radio, telephone services and some aspects of the internet - tv and radio in particular as they granted licences to TV and Radio stations because it is illegal to broadcast without one.

3) Look at the section on the OFCOM broadcasting code. Which do you think are the three most important sections of the broadcasting code and why?

i think section 8: privacy is one of the most important as everyone has the right to protect their own personal information if they dont wish for it to be shared with other people. i also think that section 1: protecting the under-eighteens is important, specifically regarding younger children, as the media can influence their behaviour and view on real life things in a negative way if they are exposed to it a lot. Lastly, i think that section 4 is one of the most important as it should be respected and it should be ensured that it is not used for violence.

4) Do you agree with OFCOM that Channel 4 was wrong to broadcast 'Wolverine' at 6.55pm on a Sunday evening? Why?

i agree because it was broadcasted at a time when families might sit together and watch tv and the content shown isnt suitable for young children to see, and some parents might not want to expose their children to it. Seeing violence in the film could also impact the way children behave in real life which parents would then have to try and control.

5) List five of the sections in the old Press Complaints Commission's Code of Practice.

- Section 1: Accuracy
- Section 2: Opportunity to Reply
- Section 3: Privacy

- Section 4: Harassment
- Section 5: Intrusion Into Grief and Shock

6) Why was the Press Complaints Commission criticised?

It was criticised as it was found that a newspaper had been found to break the rules, however nothing was done about it due to a lack of statutory power, and little is done to stop this.

7) What was the Leveson enquiry and why was it set up?

It was an inquiry into the culture, practice and ethics of the press and came about as a result of the phone hacking scandal.

8) What was the PCC replaced with in 2014?

It was replaced by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). This has been set up by the newspaper industry itself and it’s code of practice it follows the same codes that were administered by the PCC.

9) What is your opinion on press regulation? Is a free press an important part of living in a democracy or should newspapers face statutory regulation like TV and radio?

I think press regulation in some cases is necessary to ensure that peoples privacy is not invaded. I also think that the news (in the form of newspapers, radio and news channels on tv) should be regulated to ensure that what is being reported is accurate and to make sure that the people dont bend the truth in order to avoid a lot of controversy, hate crimes and violence in society.

10) Why is the internet so difficult to regulate?

It is difficult to regulate the internet because there is so much content that it is almost impossible to monitor, especially in todays modern society when something can be shared so easily by so many people. It is also difficult as some things can be hidden or made to appear less harmful than what it actually is.

MIGRAIN: Updated Index

1) Media consumption audit

2) Language: Reading an image - advert analyses

3) Reception theory

4) Semiotics: icons, indexes and symbols

5) Genre: Factsheets and genre study questions

6) Narrative: Factsheet questions

7) Audience: classification - psychographics presentation

8) October assessment learner response

9) Audience theory 1 Uses and gratifications

10) Audience theory 2

11) Audience theory: Media Effects factsheet