Pop Culture Enthusiasm

I have to recommend this post by NPR's Linda Holmes. It's a brain dump, but a fascinating one about the trend in TV networks and their relationships with fans. I could add how much I think adding #hashtags to a show is stupid, and the feeling that they (who? the MAN of course) don't get it, but Linda sums it up perfectly. Here's my two key quotes:

"In fact, what has emerged from a lot of big-business attempts to monetize enthusiasm is a deep distrust of anything that looks like "viral marketing." "Viral marketing" is viewed almost like price-gouging or antitrust violations: it is a bridge too far when it comes to trying to make money."

and:

"You'd think enthusiasts would understand this, that they'd have enough familiarity with the workings of television supported by ad sales that they would know it was about breadth and not depth in most cases, particularly for broadcast. But they don't, really. How can you tell? Because when they lobby a network to keep a show, even on broadcast, what they put on is a grand demonstration of passion. They send nuts, soap, candy bars, potatoes, they fly banners and take out ads — they're showing depth, not breadth. It hurts to hear as someone who loves something, but if you're passionate, they're not worried about you."

There is absolutely a tension in my generation between the producers of culture and the consumers of culture. An entire identity- hipsters - is based on finding cool things before they are mainstream. Being taken to its extremes at this point yields the rise of the DIY (Do It Yourself) movement. And within that is the assumption that culture is collectively owned and we all are entitled some level of access to it.

And so, it frustrates me deeply when there aren't structures to support the monetization of enthusiams. I respect the heck out of HBO, but it annoys the heck out of me that I, a cord-cutter without a TV, cannot watch their shows legally. I would chip in a couple bucks for access, but it is not available. Rumor has it this may change, but not yet. Likewise, it annoys the heck out of me when a friend watches Parks and Recreation through an unblessed site which gives no royalties back to NBC and the production company.

Several years back, I made the conscious decision to watch TV and movies through legal means. I understand that TV stations primarily count their live viewers, but I wanted to show that making it available online legally was (a) something they should be doing and (b) a way to gain some monetization. Models like Hulu, Netflix, and Spotify offer a fantastic way to increase access, decrease pirating, and send some money to the artists. Something like Spotify is ideal, in that enthusiasts, aka people to listen to albums over and over again, send money to the artist each time, unlike original models of purchasing access one time. To those not utilizing these legal models, I challenge you to support these business models which increase access and allow monetization of our enthusiasm so that we keep getting more great content!