CULTURAS IN VITRO
The entertainment industry: How to manage a dream factory
Harder times are reminding the industry of the critical importance of creating good content. But that means managing the tensions between artists and suits
ONE by one, the men of extravagant vision and exaggerated showmanship have been toppled from the upper ranks of the world's media giants. The departure of Steve Case from AOL Time Warner and of Tommy Mottola from Sony Music are only the latest in a lengthening line-up that includes Bertelsmann's Thomas Middelhoff, AOL Time Warner's Jerry Levin and Bob Pittman, Vivendi's Jean-Marie Messier, Canal Plus's Pierre Lescure and EMI's Ken Berry. Into their places has stepped a parade of dull men in suits, such as Andrew Lack, new head of Sony Music, who has never worked in the record industry, Jean-René Fourtou, an ex-pharmaceuticals boss, at Vivendi or, at Bertelsmann, Gunter Thielen, ex-head of the group's printing and industrial operations.
This trooping of grey faces into the unruly media world marks a distinct change of mood. Talk of “vision”, “synergy” or “new paradigms” is out; the daily grind of evaluating and improving operating performance is paramount.