Antitrust lawsuits in the United States had its historical beginnings with the Carnegie Steel and Standard Oil monopolies. The early 20th century was a time of trust-busting and a battle of government regulation of these industries, which were seemingly impossible to control due to their power through insurmountable wealth and market domination. Then, the 70s and 80s saw the trust busting of the Bell System in the sector of telephones and communication. Now, almost exactly a century after the passing of the antitrust laws and almost a half-century after the most recent conglomerate disaggregation, monopolies adjacent to the industry of telephone and communications run rampant in the United States – and the government is again facing difficulty in quelling their expansive power. This article will analyze three ongoing and one recently closed antitrust cases against Amazon, Apple, Alphabet, and Meta, and suggest effects that the rulings may have on how the nonprofit industry functions.
An Industry of Secrecy: Why Streaming Companies Hide Viewership Data
The entertainment industry in a post-pandemic and streamer-heavy world bears a sigil of secrecy. Viewership data for films and television shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, and other streaming services is highly monitored behind closed doors at these companies. Streaming consumption skyrocketed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people around the world were forced to stay at home. During the same time, online TV/video consumption increased from 1.7 hours to 6.5 hour. The pandemic fast-tracked the world’s shift to streaming, as it became one of the only accessible entertainment platforms, forcing the general public to decide which streaming services to invest in, largely because of cost.
Open Access Initiatives & Its Impact on the Art World
According to the Western Museum Association, Open Access refers to efforts made by museums to provide high-resolution downloadable images free of charge to maximize the ability of the user to interact with, share, and reuse the images. In 2018, Douglas McCarthy, Collections Engagement Manager at Europeana, and Dr. Andrea Wallace, Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Exeter, set out to see how many cultural heritage institutions make their digital collections available for free use, as well as how they do it. The pair created a Google Sheet survey that has listed over 1,200 international institutions, including Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums. Over one-third of these records name specific Museums. While Open Access encompasses numerous industries, this article focuses Open Access technology and usage in the context of Museums and Artists.
The Impact of Emerging Sustainable Practices in the Film Industry
Sustainability is important to every industry, especially film, as each production (with an average $70 million budget) produces a carbon footprint of 3,370 metric tons. TV and film productions create an abundance of carbon emissions, significantly affecting the atmosphere. However, carbon emissions are not the only aspect of sustainability the film industry must focus on. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provided by the United Nations (UN) show that practicing sustainability involves much more than climate change. While the film industry is making many strides towards greener productions, there are many issues that have yet to be addressed. Such issues include livable wages (SDG 8), gender equality (SDG 5), and responsible production and consumption (SDG 12). These are a few of the most prevalent ways that the film industry can follow the path of sustainability per the UN guidelines.
Technology Connecting ICH Motivations and Safeguarding Responsibilities
In an increasingly virtual work environment, digital technology is becoming a standard tool for creative industries. Cultural heritage work is no different. A broad variety of tools are being used to safeguard cultural heritage sites and objects, from partnering 3D modeling, drones and artificial intelligence for a preservation project on the Great Wall of China, to virtual reality being used to replicate and recreate the Dunhuang Caves. With the growing attention for intangible cultural heritage (ICH), it is important to explore what digital tools are being used for fulfilling intangible cultural heritage safeguarding responsibilities and what opportunities exist for other projects and their practitioners.
Theatre Collaboration Technology: A Blue Ocean to Explore
Theatre production collaboration has long been an analog, face-to-face process. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, many theaters moved to innovative, online production models. Without the ability to meet in person, the meta processes of production had to shift online too, and theaters were forced to contend with a new landscape of production possibilities. Now that theaters have proven that they can produce in digital formats, what would happen if they approached opportunities for digital collaboration with intention and care?
NFT Showdown: Miramax vs. Tarantino
There is ongoing legal debate around Quentin Tarantino's latest project, an exclusive behind-the-scenes NFT collection based on the 1994 Miramax blockbuster hit "Pulp Fiction," published in December 2021 on Opensea by SCRT Labs. A California lawsuit will determine whether Tarantino's plan is too cavalier, and whether Miramax should receive a cut of the sale. Today’s NFT world is governed by crude and antiquated laws surrounding copyright and trademark ownership. Hopefully this lawsuit establishes new legal boundaries and guidelines for future cases. In the meantime, NFT collectors should stay wary of ambiguous claims and unclear terms.
Hallyu 3.0: The Webtoon Take Over
The comics industry is undergoing a digital revolution without the forces of giant publishers Marvel or DC. It is being led by big tech, big-data, and its intermediation between audiences and individual creators. At the center of this global revolution is a popular app: Webtoon. Webtoon currently outpaces its competitors by an order of magnitude with 50 million+ downloads in the United States.
Maximizing Concert Experiences Through AR & VR
The application of Virtual and Augmented reality in music has been around for a while. From collaborative creation and interactive music videos to its incorporation in art museums, it seems as if the arts industry is competing with itself to enhance the audience experience. As concerts are a highly user-oriented experience, these technologies have started gaining more traction in the live music space. The demand for interactive and immersive experiences has called for innovative models to be incorporated within music. Thus, the application of such models is added to the concert experience with the implementation of VR and AR technologies to help maximize its interactivity.
Declining Super Bowl Viewership: Will it Maintain Most-Watched Event of the Year?
While the Super Bowl has managed to remain the most-watched live event of the year, it has not managed to maintain its robust viewership numbers in the age of cord-cutting and media saturation. Despite the trend of lower viewership, there is one instance that raises audience interest, but it remains outside of the NFL’s direct control: too-close-to-call games. Thus, there is the possibility that viewership has decreased simply due to an increase in uninteresting games in the past few years. If there’s anything the many close games this past football season, and subsequent increase in viewership, can teach us, it’s that viewers enjoy watching competitions that are truly anyone’s game.