transmitCHINA.TALKS 2011
themes
Understanding the Technology of Culture - How Creative Industries Need to Connect with Their Identity
New digital distribution, creation and curation technologies continue to chip away at the already unstable foundations of media and entertainment industries. These so-called threats end up destabilizing even the most promising new models before they find maturity while rendering the more traditional business models to waste pile.
And yet, creative content that is effectively enabled by technology remains an appealing focus amongst entrepreneurs, innovators and investors. As a result, there are thousands of new business models evolving to support, control and monetize creative industries. Is this race for working models taking us closer or further away from a healthy creative content sector?
In this noisy period of innovation, are the most important elements amongst creative industries being overshadowed by the technology narrative or is this an essential discussion, as one cannot exist without the other in this day and age? Is technology blocking us from of our understanding of human culture or is it a part of it?
All content has its roots in creativity and is embedded in culture, may it be the culture of a country, a city, a scene, an age group or an ideology. In failing to understand the foundation of the creative process, do we fail to successfully translate content into business?
Content in the Cloud - What De-centralized Data Storage and New Devices Mean for Intellectual Property
The cloud offers huge conveniences for consumers and is a natural progression for media and entertainment distribution. There is simply no need to ‘own’ content if it’s easily available through our different devices.
Cloud computing does, however, expose a whole range of questions regarding rights and ownership. When content is accessed across country borders, whose laws are governing this transaction? Are there any liabilities if the cloud provider’s service is being disrupted and content cannot be accessed? When consumers are adding content they have previously purchased to a cloud based ‘locker’, will content owners have to be compensated for any of those transactions?
When accessing web-based content and information, the device that acts as a gateway to get to the information suddenly is in a powerful position: the device manufacturers might decide to block access to certain content, or simply charge for it. It might insist in receiving parts of any revenue that content creators might generate through these devices, or it might not support certain technology, therefore directly influencing how content might be distributed to the consumer.
For content creators, cloud computing means a further loss of control, a development that they have already experienced since networked computers have enabled easy sharing of digital content. Such decrease of control over their content can however be seen as an opportunity to access to new consumer bases and find new revenue streams for arts and entertainment.
Bamboo Capitalism and Original Innovation - the Global Relevance of China’s Creative Industries
China has been viewed as a market to expand by Western creative industries for the last decade. But even though double-digit annual growth numbers and a large population makes China very attractive, most Western organizations that have tried to conduct business have experienced challenges in understanding the business culture and building meaningful relationships.
Meanwhile China’s own native creative industries have been flourishing, it's often unnoticed by their Western counterparts; by not imitating Western products, business models or structures, China has managed to develop an industry that is growing, innovating and constantly adapting. This dynamic approach to an ever-changing landscape makes China’s media and entertainment industry one to follow for its capacity to innovate and adapt.
China’s creative industries are unapologetically leveraging technology as a tool to distribute, produce and promote content as oppose to viewing it an obstacle that needs to be controlled. This means that innovation in technology and artistic creativity can actively collaborate to create a hot-bed of new businesses within media and entertainment.
Can a stronger, more bilateral relationship evolve between the Western and Chinese worlds of creative content digital media, and can new business models and content find its way more effectively into Western markets? Some would argue that immediate opportunities might include a quick transfer of knowledge and content. Others argue that only by building strong relationships between Western and Chinese companies can there be any long-term sustainability value for all parties.
