Author: Richard MacManus

Happy Monday to you all! Today’s subscriber update covers streaming tv, visual innovation in music, online media M&A, and a wannabe Soundcloud competitor promoting blockchain as the new P2P. What You Need To Know 👀 Netflix Goes All Out to Wow Children as Streaming Wars Intensify 🧸 The NY Times reports on how Netflix is…

  Radio takes the lead in today’s newsletter, but also note the second story about Spotify (also radio-related). Then my takes on two fascinating culture-tech articles: the first about Flash’s creative history on the web, and the second a look at the future of book publishing. What You Need To Know 👀 The radio industry’s…

In this third and final part of my audio vs text series, I examine where podcasts fit into the cultural content landscape. The thesis of this series is that audio formats, such as podcasting and audiobooks, have in some ways replaced textual formats like blogs and print books. Text content is certainly not dead, of…

Who can forget that image of LeBron James after JR Smith’s match-losing blunder in the NBA Finals 2018. Well that was also the reaction of Sports Illustrated journalists and their readers after learning of new owner TheMaven’s plan to turn SI into a content mill. This and other culture-tech stories below… What You Need To…

Welcome to the Weekly Wrap-up, a review of the week’s culture-tech coverage here on Cybercultural.  A Peek Behind The Paywall 🔓 First up, a list of news stories I wrote about this past week for paying subscribers. I’ve included some choice quotes from my takes. TCG Buys Majority Stake in Food52 for $83 Million 🍲 “The…

Online gaming juggernaut Fortnite finds its revenue is down 52% year-over-year. But does it really matter? This and other culture-tech news below… What You Need To Know 👀 Fortnite US July revenues down 52% year-over-year 🎮 A new report from Edison Trends states: “The hit video game leads in spend compared to challengers PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,…

In last week’s feature article, I analyzed the rise of audio formats in comparison to the decline in print formats. Specifically: podcasts and audiobooks are on a bull run in the content market, whereas blogs, print books and ebooks continue their bearish tendencies. In the following two articles in this audio vs text series, I’ll…

With online advertising only getting tougher, perhaps the future of media is represented by Food52 – a hybrid publisher and e-commerce retailer. Read on for my takes on this and other culture-tech stories… What You Need To Know 👀 TCG Buys Majority Stake in Food52 for $83 Million 🍲 The Wall St Journal reports: “Founded…

Welcome to the Weekly Wrap-up, a review of the week’s culture-tech coverage here on Cybercultural.  A Peek Behind The Paywall 🔓 First up, a list of news stories I wrote about this past week for paying subscribers. I’ve included some choice quotes from my takes. Facebook unveils new Portal video chat, TV streaming devices 📹 “I’m also…

On The Bill Simmons Podcast this month, author Malcolm Gladwell said something that startled me: the audiobook version of his latest book, Talking to Strangers, was outselling the hard cover after the first week on sale. He mentioned this was also happening with the books of Jordan Peterson, a middle-aged self help author who’s become…