MIGRAIN: Hesmondhalgh - The Cultural Industries

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 1) Refers to industries involved in the creation, production and distribution of products. These include film, television, music, publishing, advertising, video games, and digital media. 

2) Hesmondhalgh argues that cultural industries are most profitable in societies that support large corporations and their political allies. These societies usually have constant demand for new products, low regulation, economic and political stability, and a workforce willing to work hard. Profitability depends on systems that favour corporate power.

3) This happens because cultural industry companies must compete for audiences. To stand out, they often produce content that appears shocking, rebellious, or critical of power. There is also a long tradition that art should question institutions and social inequalities, which audiences expect from media texts.

4) Hesmondhalgh identifies several problems with the cultural industries, including the fact that they are a risky business due to unpredictable audience tastes. He also highlights the tension between creativity and commerce, where artistic expression can be limited by the need to make profit. In addition, cultural industries have high production costs but low reproduction costs, and because cultural products act as semi-public goods, companies must create artificial scarcity to maintain their value.

5) Cultural industries are risky because audience tastes are unpredictable. People consume media to express identity and difference, making success difficult to predict. Risk is increased because symbol creators are given creative freedom, and companies cannot control how audiences, critics, or journalists will respond to a product.

6) In my opinion, media should not be only about profit. While profit is necessary for industries to survive, media products are also forms of artistic expression that shape culture, identity, and social values. If commerce dominates creativity too much, media becomes repetitive and risk-averse, limiting innovation and representation.

7) Cultural industry companies minimise risk and maximise profit by using strategies such as horizontal and vertical integration to control production, distribution, and marketing. They also rely on stars, genres, sequels, and large marketing campaigns to attract audiences. By producing a wide range of texts, companies can offset failures with successful hits.

8) Yes. Cultural industries often reflect wider inequalities related to class, gender, ethnicity, and wealth. Many content creators are underpaid or insecure, while executives profit heavily. I agree that creative workers should be better rewarded, as their labour is essential but often undervalued.

9) The visual effects industry has suffered because VFX companies are outsourced, underpaid, and highly competitive. Studios demand lower costs, strict deadlines, and ownership of work, while VFX artists lack job security, union protection, and profit participation. This reflects commodification of creative labour.

10) Commodification is the process of turning cultural products, services, or labour into commodities that are produced mainly for exchange and profit rather than use. Hesmondhalgh argues this leads to under-rewarded labour, inequality, and restricted access to culture through ownership and copyright.

11) Yes. While there is a huge quantity of media texts, this does not guarantee diversity. Many texts repeat similar ideas, values, and viewpoints. Hesmondhalgh distinguishes between multiplicity and diversity arguing that true diversity is often limited.

12) Hesmondhalgh argues that cultural industries have changed significantly due to globalisation, digitalisation, and corporate concentration. Cultural industries are now seen as central to the economy rather than secondary. Large conglomerates operate across multiple sectors, while digital technology has increased access, self-production, and global circulation of content. Technology companies like Google and Amazon are now as influential as traditional media institutions, reshaping production, distribution, and consumption.

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