I watched the hit-driven business die from the inside at an entertainment company that produced films and games, and I think the author misdiagnoses the cause a

I watched the hit-driven business die from the inside at an entertainment company that produced films and games, and I think the author misdiagnoses the cause as the rise of subscription. Subscription is another symptom. Hits-driven business is dying because you can’t produce hits on a schedule, and if you miss more than a couple times then you’re done. Even before subscription came around, executives spoke of the need for “more singles and doubles than home runs.” Productions are slated years in advance and creatives are rarely insulated from date-driven delivery. Date driven delivery means something ships on a schedule regardless of quality. Low quality means appeal isn’t as broad. In the scheme of things, subscription revenue doesn’t quite make up for hits when they hit (look at entertainment earnings this last decade) but it’s more predictable and that can be more valuable to publicly traded entertainment companies. From where I sit in the entertainment industry for the last 20 years, the hits model still exists, but the bets are smaller. You see it among independent, privately owned studios. It’s easier than ever to be independent, but it puts creatives in a spot where they have to put their money where their mouth is. The author wants to work on hits while also pulling a predictable salary. Can’t have it both ways.