Why the future of popular culture will revolve around ever bigger bets
on entertainment products, by one of Harvard Business School's most
popular professors
What's behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as
Warner Bros., Marvel Entertainment, and the NFL--along with such stars
as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James? Which strategies give leaders in
film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge over their
rivals?
Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School's expert on the entertainment
industry, has done pioneering research on the worlds of media and sports
for more than a decade. Now, in this groundbreaking book, she explains a
powerful truth about the fiercely competitive world of entertainment:
building a business around blockbuster products--the movies, television
shows, songs, and books that are hugely expensive to produce and
market--is the surest path to long-term success. Along the way, she
reveals why entertainment executives often spend outrageous amounts of
money in search of the next blockbuster, why superstars are paid
unimaginable sums, and how digital technologies are transforming the
entertainment landscape.
Full of inside stories emerging from Elberse's unprecedented access to
some of the world's most successful entertainment brands, Blockbusters
is destined to become required reading for anyone seeking to understand
how the entertainment industry really works--and how to navigate today's
high-stakes business world at large.
