David is a professor of media, music and culture at the university of Leeds. His research focus and interests are on the media and cultural, creative industries, cultural policy the politics of musical experience, and how ‘cultural platforms’ are transforming media. He joined the University of Leeds in 2007.

production, contribution and reduction

David Hesmondhalgh says about the culture industry:

products exist as a result of their economic context:

* products are made within a commercial context and media is manufactured to create profit.

The media industry is a high risk business

*the impossibility of predicting audience tastes coupled with the high costs of production and the effects of mass competition mean that the business of making commercially successful media is very difficult.

The media industry is reliant on marketing and publicity functions

*Products need the oxygen of publicity if they are to thrive

Media products have limited consumption capacity

*Unlike other businesses, films, television and music – based products tend to be consumed as ‘one off purchases

David Hesmondhalgh is a British sociologist. He is currently Professor of Media, Music and Culture at the University of Leeds. His research focusses on the media and cultural industries, critical approaches to media in the digital age, and the sociology of music.

Hesmondhalgh Theory:

Hesmondhalgh argues that major cultural organisations create products for different industries in order to maximise chances of commercial success.

Most products are consumed when used and have to be bought again, but media products are bought once and continually used – they never wear out. So, companies have to make a lot of money out of their products initially, because they don’t often resell the same product repeatedly.

His books include The Cultural Industries, first published in 2002, described by Herbert et al. He is acknowledged as a key figure in developing the “cultural industries” approach to media, which emphasises the complex and contradictory nature of cultural production under capitalism. He is frequently named as one of the leading analysts of cultural labour, partly based on his book Creative Labour, co-written with Sarah Baker

In his book, he also talks about the relationship between media work, media workers and the media industries.

Hesmondhalgh states that going into the cultural/media industry is a risky business.

“All business is risky” “but the cultural industries constitute a particularly risky business”

Production – Distribution – Consumption

• The media industry is reliant on marketing and publicity functions.
• Media businesses are reliant upon changing audience consumption patterns.
• Media products have limited consumption capacity.

The internet is dominated by a relatively small number of suppliers. Hesmondhalgh points to the dominance of search engines and their ability to point users to a small number of sources.

He wrote a book called Cultural Industries.

He argues that major cultural organisations create products for different industries in order to maximise the chances of commercial success.

His research focuses on the media and cultural industries, critical approaches to media in the digital age, and the sociology of music.

In his book, he also talks about the relationship between media work, media workers and the media industries.

He notes that the most successful creative people are born into the industry. E.g. They’re the son / daughter of a successful creative person.

‘for every individual who succeeds, there are many who do not. For many, it will be the result of a perfectly reasonable personal decision that the commitment and determination required is not for them’

The individualising discourses of ‘talent’ and ‘celebrity’ and the promise of future fame or consecration, have special purchases in creative work and are often instrumental in ensuring compliance with the sometimes invidious demands of managers, organisations and the industry (Banks & Hesmondhalgh, p. 420).