What a record deal actually signs away
A standard record deal treats the advance as a recoupable loan, assigns the master recordings to the label for decades, and, in its 360…
Rachel Stone
Entertainment
Film, music, streaming, gaming and the culture conversation.
57 stories
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How reality TV casting actually works
Reality casting teams assemble a cast like a writers' room builds an ensemble, using archetypes, chemistry tests and psychological…
Rachel Stone
Why cinema popcorn costs so much: the economics of the multiplex
Studios claim the largest share of ticket revenue during a film's opening weeks, so multiplexes survive on concessions, where a tub of…
Rachel Stone
The fragile economics of music festivals
Festivals sell most of their tickets before paying most of their costs, a cash-flow shape that explains both the boom in events and the…
Elena Marsh
Why West End tickets cost what they do
Theatre pricing is shaped by fixed weekly running costs, dynamic demand pricing at the top and a quiet ecosystem of discounts underneath…
Elena Marsh
How film classification works: what the BBFC actually does
The BBFC is an industry-funded body whose examiners apply published guidelines rebuilt every few years from public consultation, and whose…
Rachel Stone
Why films arrive on streaming so much faster than they used to
The theatrical window collapsed from months to weeks under pandemic pressure and streaming strategy, and the new settlement rewards event…
Elena Marsh
How musicians actually get paid when you stream a song
Streaming royalties flow through a pro-rata pool, labels, publishers and collection societies before reaching artists, and each stage…
Elena Marsh
How the BBC licence fee actually gets spent
The £174.50 licence fee funds roughly two-thirds of BBC income, but collection costs, evasion, sport rights inflation, World Service…
Rachel Stone