Harry Potter and the Entertainment Industry

VoidEngineer writes "In a surprisingly insightful article entitled Harry Crushes the Hulk, Frank Rich discusses how "Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix" beat out "The Hulk" and goes on to offer some insightfull and interesting comments on demographics, digital media piracy, file sharing and p2p networks, the iTunes store, and more... His conclusion? "[Consumers] may well be willing to pay for their entertainment -- if the quality is guaranteed and the price is fair."

that strategy won't work

[DarkSkiesAhead]

[Consumers] may well be willing to pay for their entertainment -- if the quality is guaranteed and the price is fair.

Sheesh, what dunce claimed that? Clearly consumers are more willing to pay if you threaten and sue them. Duh.

Re:I have been arguing this with the wife all day

[kamapuaa]

Well naturally, if you're not a fan of fiction, you're not going to like these books...

I'm a fan of the books, I think their appeal lies in them being smooth reading, but with believable, likable characters, in an interesting setting.

For instance, in the latest book, while reading about Harry's necking and "reaching third base" with Cho, readers can be reminded of their first sexual experience (or not, this is the /. crowd). When Ron accidentally kills his best friend Hermione while she's disguised as the double-agent Professor Snape, J.K. Rowling really shows the agony and regret Ron feels, how he tries to express their deep friendship as she lies dying. Later, when Harry is shown to unknowingly be the dark lord Voldemort, you can really appreciate Harry's mixed feelings, compelled to attack the school he's spent the last 4 years attending (and making friends, and gaining recognition).

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was perhaps more intelligent, and a more consistent world than Harry Potter. However, I admit I didn't care for all the proletyzing, and the characters were more likable, and at least in Harry Potter nobody gets sent to hell (well not until the last chapter of the latest book, anyway).

Kids these days

[somethinghollow]

"Here's what's wrong with kids in the digital age. They live in front of their TV and PC screens. They steal music online. Their attention span is zilch. They multitask on everything and concentrate on nothing except video games. They will buy any trashy product that the media goliaths can sell them, then drop it as soon as the next big hype comes along."

Isn't that the problem with adults in the digital age as well?

Doesn't seem to read much, does he?

[nagora]

He thinks the HP books are "quality" (as opposed to bland, if rather jolly, easy-reading) and the Matrix was a "burst of big-studio originality" (as opposed to a trawl through the last 50 years' of SF writing).

TWW

Harry Potter and the Entertainment Industry

[Dark Lord Seth]

Did anyone else think of that subject as the title of a new Harry Potter book instead?

sharing books

[BenjyD]

and, assuming a very conservative average of two readers per book, a larger audience as well.

People are sharing books! Quick, send in the licensing police. That's $100 million in lost sales. This new trend in book piracy must be stamped out before our book industry is ruined.

Re:Without even reading the article....

[SoSueMe]

"Sadly, I doubt that the companies will wake up and smell the coffee..."
Just wait 'till Starbucks figures out their "On-line" strategy

unworkable

[alizard]

What's a good guy going to do about the Hollywood entertainment cartel?

I don't think Rowlings is going to turn Harry Potter into Rambo, or that the audience would go for a happy ending full of burning buildings and either corpses or people screaming in death agony.

Come to think of it, I'd find that entertaining.