{"product_id":"digital-renaissance-by-joel-waldfogel-9780691162829","title":"Digital Renaissance","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow digital technology is upending the traditional creative industries—and why that might be a good thing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe digital revolution poses a mortal threat to the major creative industries—music, publishing, television, and the movies. The ease with which digital files can be copied and distributed has unleashed a wave of piracy with disastrous effects on revenue. Cheap, easy self-publishing is eroding the position of these gatekeepers and guardians of culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDoes this revolution herald the collapse of culture, as some commentators claim? Far from it. In \u003cem\u003eDigital Renaissance\u003c\/em\u003e, Joel Waldfogel argues that digital technology is enabling a new golden age of popular culture, a veritable digital renaissance. By reducing the costs of production, distribution, and promotion, digital technology is democratizing access to the cultural marketplace. More books, songs, television shows, and movies are being produced than ever before.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNor does this mean a tidal wave of derivative, poorly produced kitsch; analysing decades of production and sales data, as well as bestseller and best-of lists, Waldfogel finds that the new digital model is just as successful at producing high-quality, successful work as the old industry model, and in many cases more so. The vaunted gatekeeper role of the creative industries proves to have been largely mythical. The high costs of production have stifled creativity in industries that require ever-bigger blockbusters to cover the losses on ever-more-expensive failures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAre we drowning in a tide of cultural silt, or living in a golden age for culture? The answers in \u003cem\u003eDigital Renaissance\u003c\/em\u003e may surprise you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"NewSouth Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47460696129772,"sku":"9780691162829","price":84.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691162829-digital-renaissance.jpg?v=1774950919","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/digital-renaissance-by-joel-waldfogel-9780691162829","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}