The Internet is not the Enemy

A month ago David Farrar blogged on a recently released report that challenged the conventional wisdom on the effect of the internet and piracy on the entertainment industry.

I finally got around to reading the report myself and it makes for a fascinating read. The key points as seen by myself:

• Between 1998 and 2010 the worldwide entertainment industry grew from $449 billion to $745 billion
• We are living in an age of content abundance
• For content creators there are amazing opportunities
• The role of the traditional gatekeepers/middlemen is changing and in some cases they are no longer needed
• The internet presents more opportunities to make money from entertainment than it does to threaten it

The report looks at four parts of the entertainment industry (Movies/TV, Music, Books and Video Games) and there are some incredible case studies of artists who are adapting to the digital content revolution.

The report is called the Sky is Rising and for those interested in entertainment and the internet, particularly those concerned about the attempts by major media companies to control the internet, it should be a must read.