Optimists such as I look for countertrends in content and distribution--ways that new technologies can work against the growing concentration of media ownership. Such ways do exist, with electronic distribution playing important roles. For example, Print on Demand (moving the actual book manufacture nearer to the point of purchase) can help small publishers and self-publishers compete with the giants. If licensing costs don't kill them, Internet radio may provide outlets for radio concepts that go beyond ClearChannel's limited formulae. Then there are movies. It's tough for independent films to break through to their audiences, given the ad money and distribution dominance of the major studios, and the major studios have made things worse by making special deals with Blockbuster that helped put most independent video stores--the last remaining place that indie films could be found--out of business.
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