After digital The search for a cheaper cultural moment

20,000 foot view:  Audiences are becoming ever-more creative and this proclivity will come into its own over the coming period of economic, social, and political turbulence. To reconnect with each other while conserving their financial resources, these audiences will increasingly employ their digital-savvy pandemic learnings in the way that they consume entertainment itself. 

Key insights 

• As the            crisis becomes more prominent, ‘do            yourself’ inclinations will continue to            among keen entertainment audiences  
• In            2022,            consumers played guitar,            played a            instrument or sang,            had started            to play an instrument in            last year, and            wanted to            learning
• A recession            likely to see the emergence            new, localised underground scenes, borne            economic necessity and catalysing creativity            a response to financial constraints
• With the            and number of subscriptions required            access rising, as well as            being complicated by rights battles,            is on the rise in            music and video (in            2022,                       of consumers respectively download for            from file-sharing networks)
• Streaming services            either try to force the            of their audiences by doing            like locking account sharing and            down on family plan definitions,            embrace these creative consumption behaviours            the benefit of longer-term cultural           
• Digital entertainment            face the double-pincer threat of            only losing revenues as consumers            to engage with entertainment in            cost-efficient manners, but also as            choose to engage more ‘in            life’ activities instead
• Local gigs            US consumers went in the            month) and cinema tickets            can            as small luxuries which fit            need for real-life experiences, social            and community, affordability, and entertainment            distract from recessionary concerns
• Other DIY            activities will rise from the            generated by the creator economy,            all the freely available tools            technologies which come with it 
• DIY entertainment            will not replace entertainment consumption,            will bring experiential scarcity, and            cultural value, into a market            dominated by plenty. While revenues            not spike, cultural value will

Companies and brands mentioned in this report: Barlow and Bear, Disney+, GarageBand, Gentleminions, Netflix, Pandora, PirateBay, Pluto TV, Shazam, SoundCloud, Spotify, TikTok, Tubi TV, and uTorrent