Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

How the iPod changed everything

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Mark Mulligan
Apple just announced that it is finally ending production of the iPod . At 21 years of age, it outlived many of the dramatic changes it witnessed and triggered. In this age, dominated by streaming (and a vinyl resurgence), the iPod did not really have a place anymore, other than with its ever-diminishing base of super fans.
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Is the rising popularity of the BeReal app proof that raw authenticity is the social media trend of 2022?

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Ashleigh Millar
‘Genuineness’ is trending on TikTok at the moment. Influencer celebrities have risen to fame because of their transparency and relatability, from the likes of Brittany Broski sharing candid, unfiltered content , to Eden Harvey sharing intimate and private moments with her followers to keep them included in every step of her life , both of whom boast millions of followers (6.
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The pandemic catalysed a streaming business model reckoning. Is the live sector next?

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Tatiana Cirisano
The news is everywhere: concerts are back. Coachella heralded the return of a roaring festival season, hundreds of acts are back on the road, and Live Nation says it is expecting a record year. But other headlines paint a different picture: Little Simz canceled her tour because it was not financially viable for her as an independent artist, reporters are calling out many venues for taking a 25% cut of merch sales, artists everywhere are struggling with the financial — not just health — risk of contracting coronavirus on tour, live music revenue has not yet bounced back , and tweets like these are going viral.
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The Covid entertainment boom is over

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Hanna Kahlert
Two years of pandemic-driven lockdown restrictions turned out to be a golden era for digital entertainment. With 12% of extra available free time allocated to various entertainment propositions, and additional spend freed up due to the lull in expenditures on the likes of transport and ‘in real life’ (IRL) activities, entertainment prospered in 2020: video consumption grew by 7%, non-music audio by 24%, music streaming by 19%, and games by 30% (source: MIDiA Research Consumer Survey Q4 2020).
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