Why are vinyl sales up for the 17th straight year? Why are 20-year-old TV shows topping the streaming charts? Because older media already solved the quality problem. The movie that won Best Picture in 1976 ( Rocky ) or 1994 ( Forrest Gump ) didn't have to compete with 500 other scripted shows.
Not just more content. Better content. To understand the demand for higher quality, we must first diagnose the disease of the current media landscape: Algorithmic Sludge. tonightsgirlfriend240308ellienovaxxx1080 better
The next time you pick up the remote or open Spotify, ask yourself: Is this good, or is it just new? Does it respect my time? Does it have a point of view? Why are vinyl sales up for the 17th straight year
Find five friends, three critics, and two Substack writers whose taste you genuinely admire. Ignore everyone else. In the age of noise, signal is found via trusted gatekeepers you choose, not algorithms imposed upon you. The Future of Better Popular Media We are seeing the green shoots of recovery. The "Streaming Wars" are ending, and the "Quality Wars" are beginning. Studios are realizing that spending $200 million on a generic superhero film that gets a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes is a worse investment than spending $40 million on a sharp, original thriller that wins Oscars. The movie that won Best Picture in 1976
Streaming giants are no longer in the business of curation; they are in the business of retention . Their algorithms are optimized not to delight you, but to keep you scrolling. This has led to the rise of what screenwriter John August calls "Filler-tecture"—content designed explicitly to be played in the background while you fold laundry.
We have entered the era of hyper-choice. With over 1,800 streaming services globally, 3.7 million podcasts, and more music uploaded to DSPs (Digital Service Providers) every day than was released in the entire year of 1989, the scarcity economy of media has collapsed. In its place, a new, louder question has emerged from living rooms and headphones everywhere: Where can I find better entertainment content and popular media?