The scenario has been batted around before. Writer's strike. No end in sight. Most TV shows have run out of new episodes, award shows are being scaled down or canceled, and if it goes on for too long there won't be any more new movies in theatres.

 

The Screen Actors Guild can go on strike too before too long, and unless someone comes up with something soon, they probably will for the same reasons, along with the directors guild.

 

Now the strike is putting ideas in musicians heads. Granted, EMI is a sort of a special circumstance, but apparently big label deals in this day and age can be pretty toxic for the artists between 360 deals and older contracts that make no provisions for digital sales. David Byrne in some of his interviews for Wired talked about the possibility of artists waking up and striking together en masse. 1 2

 

What if it did happen? Any medium affected by the internet age is at risk. What if there were no new movies, tv, music... maybe even games? For months? Years?

 

Would everyone finally discover indie releases? Would they just watch youtube all the time instead? Would ordinary people discover that they were capable of a depth of creativity they never realised while being hypnotised by their entertainment? Would we become more obsessed with gossip than we are now? Or would we rise above it all? Could it be the straw that broke the economy? Would DVD box sets double in value? Would we all make a dash for second life? Maybe there would be a boom in live theatre?

 

 

Scary and exciting times ahead, I think...

If it happens (and it probably will), I just hope music doesn't stop, even if artists release their stuff online. I can put up with no TV, no radio, no movies, but no new music would slowly kill me...plus if everyone was watching youtube, maybe that'll be more of a reason for me and Beatrix to start our own show!

I don't think that even a worldwide music strike would affect most genuinely independent lables. They usually know better and adapt faster. So there will always be new music, it just may not be familiar.

IF the TV indusrty did colapse, what would happen to informational programs like the news?

They have separate contracts with all their respective people from what I understand... and don't have the sort of resale value that is at issue in the strikes.

 

I think tv would be more likely to end up resembling late night programming 24/7 than completly going off air.

 

Though worst case scenario, there is always youtube and the like... :confused: Not that that's fair to people without internet who depend on news programs. Radio for them maybe? Even in a case like that I think at least public broadcasters would stay on air.

Youtube has enough videos to keep the world running long enough...but yeah, for the people with no internet, it'd be hard

a meltdown of the entertainment industry inordinately scares me because i'm so attatched to music, tv, and movies. i hope to get into such fields one day (specifically film), so it would not only affect my current enjoyment, it could affect my future happiness and well-being.

 

the WGA strike has pissed me off increasingly for selfish reasons, though i do agree with the strikers. what really gets me, though, is the lack of cooperation and discussion between the sides. it makes me furious. the same thng is running through my head with this very new (and possibly/hopefully non-existent) EMI strike. the longer it goes on without the sides talking, the more i consider both sides to be stubbornly whining, no matter who i agree with. even if i was currently a writer for a TV show and was striking, i would think the whole thing was getting absolutely absurd, even though i was the one being done wrong by.

 

if the screen actors guild and the directors guild go on strike, i really WILL lose it. as inordinately sad i am about the prospect of coldplay striking, the whole movie industry being put on indefinite hold will REALLY get me. movies are my life. so is music, but i'm more geeky about movies, as surprising as that may sound :rolleyes:

 

as for musical artists in the event of a widespread strike, i think they'd all employ the finest lawyers that money can buy so they can wriggle free of their current contracts, then they would pull a radiohead and self-release on the internet. because even if indie got on the bandwagon and took the place of the huge labels, indie wouldnt be indie for much longer, despite the term and business practices. if all the mainstream acts "went indie," what would the fundamental differences be between what was previously released on major labels and what is then released on indie labels?

 

i shudder to think of a widespread entertainment strike. i think the entertainment world really is in for a huge shaking-up in my lifetime, especially the music side of things, but i dont think striking is the only way of moving forward.

All of my current interests would lead me down the path of an entertainment career but if it were to collapse before I finish school...I might...~shiver~...considered a job as like a lawyer....~shiver~

as for musical artists in the event of a widespread strike, i think they'd all employ the finest lawyers that money can buy so they can wriggle free of their current contracts, then they would pull a radiohead and self-release on the internet. because even if indie got on the bandwagon and took the place of the huge labels, indie wouldnt be indie for much longer, despite the term and business practices. if all the mainstream acts "went indie," what would the fundamental differences be between what was previously released on major labels and what is then released on indie labels?

 

Um hundreds or even thousands of tiny, nimble lables run by hands on owners who care about music vs. two or three out-of-touch hulking leviathans.

 

I think it would be nice for a while as long as they worked together somehow on the distribution front.

 

But then of course the other giant companies that wanted more assets would gobble them up, just like in the 50s or 60s, bringing us back to square one.

 

 

Goodness I'm a pessimist tonight. Guess I should get some sleep.

The only thing I think will come good out of this is that it might, just might...give the music industry one hell of a shake up so those financial idiots will open their eyes!!! This is art we're talking about NOT a money making throw-it-under-the-rug device!!!

The only thing I think will come good out of this is that it might, just might...give the music industry one hell of a shake up so those financial idiots will open their eyes!!! This is art we're talking about NOT a money making throw-it-under-the-rug device!!!

 

That part has already happened. They just don't have a clue where to go or what to do about it, and they don't have the capital anymore to try.

Um hundreds or even thousands of tiny, nimble lables run by hands on owners who care about music vs. two or three out-of-touch hulking leviathans.

 

I think it would be nice for a while as long as they worked together somehow on the distribution front.

 

But then of course the other giant companies that wanted more assets would gobble them up, just like in the 50s or 60s, bringing us back to square one.

 

 

Goodness I'm a pessimist tonight. Guess I should get some sleep.

 

no no, i wasnt saying that the indie labels would become massively greedy and clueless like the current "out-of-touch hulking leviathans" (:) perfect description, BTW), i was just saying that indie music would lose its charm (or whatever it is; i cant think of the right word) as indie music, because indie would become the mainstream, and something else would probably develop underground to take indie's place and wait for indie to crash and burn years down the line just like the leviathans did. its like the overthrow of the governments in european history by the lower classes (if i'd taken the course more recently than three years ago i'd remember the term for this and all the references :rolleyes:)--power just could keep constantly changing hands.

 

i should go to bed too; it's 1:15 AM here. if i'm correct, isn' it 2:15 AM where you are? :thinking: :D

Its 5:20pm where I am :dozey:

^haha, even though i understand time zones and all...that just blows my mind!! i'm ready to go to sleep on thursday night, when you're probably getting ready to sit down to your friday dinner.

 

oooh boy, i'm totally going to sleep now. i'm getting zany.

If it did happen. I think things would probably start up from scratch again. People would start their own companies etc. and then they would eventually get bigger.

And I...would start my own music career:smug:

With the sheer amount of new films and new albums released over the last few years it might give everyone a chance to catch up. A meltdown might not be such a bad idea. Think of all the stuff that has already passed you by ;)

i was also thinking that lots of musicians would start their own companies, but then i remembered the beatles' fiasco with apple in the late '60's to the '70's and how EMI just got apple in the end anyway and currently owns them. i'm not saying that it's impossible for artists to get out their own labels, i'm just saying that it's a lot harder than it looks (probably--considering apple was pretty much the first one, they probably made a lot of mistakes that won't be made again), and it would probably save time and money for big-name artists to find indie labels that they liked and go from there.

If the screen-writers strike goes on for much longer, they could find themselves out of a job, as hollywood and other shows outsource writing deals to writers from developing countries whom ain't in the same boat.

 

And if all the big bands start stamping their feet over record deals, it's good, as there is so much undiscovered talent out there.

ahh rachael you changed your name!:cool:

 

 

I hope and don't think that this problem will carry over into the music industry. And i hope this strike ends soon, but i don't think its going to end for a while. Thats a shame, cuz i wanna watch scrubs

i was also thinking that lots of musicians would start their own companies, but then i remembered the beatles' fiasco with apple in the late '60's to the '70's and how EMI just got apple in the end anyway and currently owns them. i'm not saying that it's impossible for artists to get out their own labels, i'm just saying that it's a lot harder than it looks (probably--considering apple was pretty much the first one, they probably made a lot of mistakes that won't be made again), and it would probably save time and money for big-name artists to find indie labels that they liked and go from there.

 

Omg, I was wondering who the new member was... :lol:

 

And I like your idea.

^:D haha, yeah, that's why i put the line in my sig so people wouldnt be confused...

 

the WGA strike has already significantly pissed me off by taking pretty much all my shows off the air, and by reducing the golden globes to a press conference. i dont know what i'll do if coldplay go on strike as well.

strikes are making my life miserable! ;)

ahh rachael you changed your name!:cool:

 

Yep! :D

 

The writers strike is actually a good thing (sorta) over here because now all the Australian shows are being shown. Especially the Aussie comedies :D.

 

:bigcry: although, people are saying Rove. might not be back in '08! :bigcry:

 

(www.rovedaily.com ;))

There is always something to do,i do not believe it would affect things.