David Hesmondhalgh is the author of the book ‘The Cultural Industries’.

His work is about tracing the relationship with media work, media workers, and the media industries.

‘the individualising discourses of ‘talent’ and ‘celebrity’ and the promise of future fame or consecration, have special purchase in creative work, and are often instrumental in ensuring compliance with the sometimes invidious demands of managers, organisations and the industry‘

Hesmondhalgh states that the media industry is a ‘risky business’. The impossibility of predicting audience tastes combined with the high costs of production and the effects of mass competition means that the business of making commercially successful media is very difficult.

‘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’

Hesmondhalgh has a book called cultural industries, his work is about tracing the relationship between media work and media industries.

Working in the media is basically down to pure luck due to the media industry having such a high demand of people wanting to join such industry but not enough places actually in the industry to allow everyone to get into the positions.

‘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‘

Family connections boosts the chances of being able to enter the media industry.

Hesmondhalgh stated that the media industry is a risky business. As you cannot predict the audiences taste.

The Cultural Industry’s (book) – Tracing the relationship between media workers, media work and media industry.

Most people are deluded to what they think the creative industry is like which is what Hesmond is trying to say which then results in them being vulnerable and exploited by higher ups. He also puts out that most people who succeeds in the industry is people who have connections in the industry.

1. Cultural industries – 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
2. Production – The making of a piece of media
3. Distribution – How the piece of media is distributed.
4. Exhibition / Consumption – How the media piece is consumed by the audience
5. Media concentration – The ownership of mass media by a few individuals
6. Conglomerates – A company that owns numerous companies involved in media.
7. Globalisation (in terms of media ownership) – the worldwide integration of media through the cross-cultural exchange of ideas
8. Cultural imperialism – The influences of media on a economically dominant culture and others.
9. Vertical Integration – when a media company owns different businesses in the same chain of production and distribution
10. Horizontal Integration – when a conglomerate uses smaller independent companies to help with marketing, distribution or even the exhibition of a film
11. Mergers – When a media company buys another company
12. Monopolies – When there is an absence of competition in the market. eg. (only one supplier, buying all the shares)
13. Gatekeepers – People who filter information for dissemination.
14. Regulation – Is the process by which a range of specific, often legally binding, tools are applied to media systems and institutions to achieve established policy goals such as pluralism, diversity, competition, and freedom.
15. Deregulation – the process of removing or loosening government restrictions on the ownership of media outlets
16. Free market – Its an economic system based on competition, with little or no government interference.
17. Commodification – The process whereby things are transformed into objects for sale in a capitalist economic system.
18. Convergence – Blending together multiple forms of media.
19. Diversity – Refers to diversity of ideas, viewpoints or options.
20. Innovation – a new method or idea.

The media is broken up into three sectors, production, distribution and consumption. David hesmondhalgh says that the media industry is a “risky business” – Companies minimize the risk of the industry by using horizontal integration which is where conglomerates use smaller companies to help with the distribution of the product which will result in more consumption and then more sales, which add up to more job security. Another way the industry reduces the risk of the business is by creating a monopoly which eliminates all competition by a supplier buying all the shares in the competition and owning everything. This results in all sales coming to you. Another way the media industry reduces the risk is to create a product in the cultural industries which results in the product being bought and bought, for example making a song and then innovating it by making remixes, creating a stable income. Lastly a way of reducing the risk is integrate the product into globalisation by distributing it world wide if the product was suited for that.

-Wrote the book ‘The Cultural Industries’. It’s about the relationship of media workers and media industry

– HESMONDHALGH explores the idea of the vulnerable and precarious nature in the creative industry.

-He also states that young people especially can be seen to desire a career in the creative industry as they are almost promised millions and a celebrity status.

-There is a common misconception about the creative industry since when people consume a type of media, for example film or television, they commonly think that making a film is as entertaining as watching it.

The media industry is a risky business, it’s likely that the taste/opinions of music/film won’t be the same as yours. This is where the ‘Distribution’ process comes into action. For example, if you made a song and wanted it to be sold to the masses because you personally think it’s an amazing song, companies who help with distribution would evaluate the product possibly hold focus groups before investing into your product to get a general grasp of the publics current taste in music.

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.

This is to make sure that the company won’t lose money. There are however, strategies to reduce risk, one of these ‘strategies’ used by distribution companies is ‘Serialisation’, this is where companies/studios exploit a genre/format of song and/or film that performed well in sales and would make sequels and/or prequels for the sole purpose of making the most money they can out of it. This method in-turn makes it more difficult for a ‘new-star’ to come into light as once companies know what works they may not take a risk with a new format. Once the ‘serialisation’ process is complete, when there has been enough prequels/sequels where the public is starting to lose interest, a strategy called ‘genre-based formatting’ may be used to reduce risk of losing money. ‘genre-based formatting’ is essentially where the same genre/story, that shows to do well, is reused or changed slightly.