More great stuff from the Global Business Network and Andrew Blau (both involved in The Future of Philanthropy report I linked to earlier), this time exploring the future of independent media in the real world and on-line.
The report explores the changing shape and structure of the media marketplace, as the means of production become ever cheaper, and the output from professionals and nonprofessionals starts to flow onto the Internet and other media channels. The discussion has direct relevance to any culture-related enterprise — for-profit or nonprofit — and is well worth a read.
Some of the summary findings:
- The media landscape will be reshaped by the bottom-up energy of media created by amateurs and hobbyists as a matter of course….This bottom-up energy will generate enormous creativity, but it will also tear apart some of the categories that organize the lives and work of media makers.
- The traditional relationship between the noncommercial and commercial media systems is changing. Both the commercial and the noncommercial realms are growing in size and complexity. What is also growing — and growing more complex — is the relationship between them.
- The commercial/noncommercial distinction no longer serves the purpose it once might have. In part, that’s because commercial firms have been getting into areas once thought of as the preserve of nonprofit organizations and noncommercial media….For younger makers and younger viewers, who often don’t find these categories useful or indicative of anything, ‘noncommercial’ will no longer feel like an important marker.
Even if your organization deals in the real world of live experience, it’s essential to be aware of cultural participation and production patterns in every realm. This report offers a fabulous map for that exploration.
