honest-broker.com

Is the Music Business Collapsing?

The big labels cut foolish deals with streaming platforms, who are their natural enemies. Spotify will work to undermine labels by promoting passive listening. This is bad for the music business, because many listeners don't even know the names of the artists they're hearing.

stratechery.com

Netflix Earnings, Business or Franchise, Disney’s Deal

Netflix has a solid business, which is exactly the problem: the company increasingly seems like a business and not a franchise, at least in terms of growth.

honest-broker.com

People Are Rejecting Screens—and Returning to Communal Events

The entire music industry has embraced digital tech and streaming. But the music economy is going in the opposite direction—back to live music and in-the-flesh contact with the audience. As a result, the percent of consumer spending targeted at concert tickets is growing rapidly. Income generated by digital music has meanwhile collapsed, and shows no sign of rebounding.

stratechery.com

Netflix to Sell Streaming Services?, Streamers as Aggregators, Revisiting Roku

Netflix is considering selling other streaming services, and I think it's a good idea; it's also a let-down for Netflix's original goals and potential pivots.

honest-broker.com

The Collapse at Netflix Signals the End of Audience Capture

Netflix got into this mess by pursuing a simple strategy: (1) Spend less on programming, and (2) Raise subscription prices. That is the 'audience capture' strategy mentioned above. The idea is that the audience got captured years ago with cheap subscription prices, and now the platform can squeeze them mercilessly—offering less and charging more.

stratechery.com

Fox Buys Roku, The Problem With Fox’s Smart Strategy, Streaming That Works

The market hates Fox's acquisition of Roku, but the company is trading extraction from rights holders for leverage as a renter.