Cultural Industries.

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

The term ‘cultural industry’ refers to the creation, production, and distribution of products of a cultural or artistic nature. Cultural industries include television and film production, publishing, music, as well as crafts and design.

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

Broadcasting: radio, television 

Film industries: including the dissemination of film on video/ DVD/ television 

Music industries: recording, publishing and live performance 

Print and electronic publishing: books, online databases, information services, magazines and newspapers

Video and computer games: or digital games as some commentators refer to them

Advertising, marketing and public relations: greater functional element than other cultural industries; intended to sell and promote other texts; centred on the creation of texts and require work of symbol creators 

Web design: high functionality dynamic + strong aesthetic element

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

Because companies need to compete with each other because the population is diverse so every demographic needs to be catered to.

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

There are problems such as 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?

Risk derives from the fact that audiences use cultural commodities in highly volatile and unpredictable ways – often in order to express the view that they are different from other people. Companies are threatened by risky business because it  solely depends on the consumer.

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?

In my opinion, I think media products should be a form of art rather than an attempt to make profit because media can become mind numbing after being fed the same type of information or entertainment over and over again by producers just because it made them a lot of money once so they want to replicate it. I believe that if more artistically valued media was produced then less people would want to see the trash reality TV they are spoonfed - we are given that because it is easy, not because it is useful or beneficial.

7) How do cultural industry companies minimise their risks and maximise their profits? (Clue: your work on Industries - Ownership and control will help here) 

Vertical integration-Owning a range of businesses in the same production/distribution.

Horizontal integration-Owning a range of media companies that are largely unrelated.

Integration and Synergy-Series of media products derived from the same text or institution.

Diversification- When a media company branches out into a different area of the industry.

Cross-media regulation-When two companies merge.

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?

Yes, I agree because the people who actually produce the movie and put in the technical work and labour get paid less than those who merely own the production company which I believe is unfair.

10) What is commodification? 

Commodification involves the transforming of objects and services into commodities.

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 to an extent because there are a select few media texts that try to accommodate minority groups however the mass media generally avoid diversity as it tends to be more expense or time consuming to cater to than just generalising a text or advert to a majority.

12) How does Hesmondhalgh suggest the cultural industries have changed? Identify the three most significant developments and explain why you think they are the most important.

Cultural industries are no longer seen as second to the ‘real’economy, ownership and organisation of cultural industries is now much broader, and digitalisation.