Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis

This book provides a thorough explanation of the business models of most of the media and entertainment industries - music, radio, TV, even casinos and theme parks. There is both a historical perspective and a presentation of the current state. Most of this information is not available in print or on the net elsewhere. For example, there's a flowchart that explains royalties in the music industry that explained in one glance what would normally require personal discussions with five or ten people to uncover. There is also information on valuation models and accounting treatments of the industries studied. Some reviewers called this book dry - but I think the writing is compact, objective, and informative. Also, there are extensive footnotes and references to other sources. Academic rigor, an analyst's objectivity and practicality, and an underlying enthusiasm for the subject - excellent.

A very clear explanation of the history, issues, rationale and economic flows of the entertainment industry. The book includes a comprehensive list of sources of information as well as details the sources for every bit of information it provides. This is very useful as it familiarizes the reader with the gathering of information in relation with the industry and the relative authority of the sources.

This book is the most complete available dealing with the various industries that make up "entertainment " in our society. It has many nice figures and tables that can be used to illustrate a point if you're a student doing a report, or a teacher covering this area in a lecture. But, it is a very dry read otherwise. It works best for me as a reference text to be used in companion to other texts on the various subjects. It'll have to be updated anually to be a valid reference in this age of the internet... it could use a website to go along with it maybe? Good book to keep on the shelf and refer to when you need a stat.

I had always wondered how claims of unprofitable multimillion dollar-grossing films could be substantiated; now I know. The author provides a very good presentation of the details of entertainment financing. I particularly liked its up-to-date financial information on specific films; as well as the explanation of the power balance among studios, producers and distributors. All of this, while providing a historical backdrop explaining how things got to this point made for compelling reading. It may be a bit dry, but that's what you want from a text like this. Better that than to err on the side of being too insider-focussed, name-droppy, or "lite." This book explains how the money flows and that riveting enough for me.

This book is certainly the best economic text I've ever read. It covers all aspects of the entertainment business, including film, television, cable TV, music, gaming, and Broadway. People currently in the entertainment biz can add to their knowledge, while novices and those with a general background in economics will have a fantastic primer from Vogel.