The Times, They Are A-Changin'

For the first time, I’m excited about what’s happening in the world of entertainment. In an industry that has long resisted the sort of disruption technology has brought to other fields, 2013 is starting to look like an inflection point.

Just last night, an Internet company (Netflix) won three Emmy awards. And while the top prize went to a show from a more traditional network, the producer of that show credited Netflix for its success during his acceptance speech. An industry that has long resisted disruption from the tech world instead lauded an Internet company on stage, and offered it their most prized honor.

Last week, a video game (Grand Theft Auto V) reached $1B in sales in just three days. It achieved that milestone faster than any movie, any album, any book. A piece of programmable content is now the fastest growing entertainment property in history.

And at Sundance this year, Kickstarter funded films won 6 awards. In fact, a full 10% of the movies selected were Kickstarter backed. In an industry where the big studios have long decided what films got made, and which won distribution, the process of funding production is now being democratized through technology.

There is still a long way to go – the music industry, for instance, suffers from a stifling lack of innovation – but 2013 certainly seems like a turning point in entertainment. I can’t wait to see what’s next.