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Blockbusters MP3 CD – Unabridged, April 15, 2014

by Anita Elberse (Author), Renee Raudman (Reader)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 234 ratings
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Why the future of popular culture will revolve around ever bigger bets on entertainment products, by one of Harvard Business School’s most celebrated professors

What’s behind the phenomenal success of entertainment businesses such as Warner Bros., Marvel Entertainment, and the NFL—along with such stars as Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and LeBron James? Which strategies give leaders in film, television, music, publishing, and sports an edge over their rivals?

Anita Elberse, Harvard Business School’s expert on the entertainment industry, has done pioneering research on the worlds of media and sports for more than a decade. Now, in this groundbreaking audiobook, she explains a powerful truth about the fiercely competitive world of entertainment: building a business around blockbuster products—the movies, television shows, songs, and books that are hugely expensive to produce and market—is the surest path to long-term success. Along the way, she reveals why entertainment executives often spend outrageous amounts of money in search of the next blockbuster, why superstars are paid unimaginable sums, and how digital technologies are transforming the entertainment landscape.

Full of inside stories emerging from Elberse’s unprecedented access to some of the world’s most successful entertainment brands, Blockbusters is destined to become required listening for anyone seeking to understand how the entertainment industry really works—and how to navigate today’s high-stakes business world at large.

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Previous page
  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Brilliance Audio
  3. Publication date
    April 15, 2014
  4. Dimensions
    6.5 x 0.63 x 5.5 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    9781491518649
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1491518649
  7. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1491518642
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brilliance Audio; Unabridged edition (April 15, 2014)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781491518649
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1491518649
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 0.63 x 5.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 234 ratings

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Anita Elberse

Anita Elberse

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
234 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Love it! Well-written book with lots of insights on the entertainment industry, yet accessible and fun to read.
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book consists of 7 chapters plus a prologue and epilogue: two of its chapters are about blockbusters, two are on superstars, and three cover digital technologies. My favorites are chapters 6 and 7 which discuss subjects like Hulu, the NFL, MLB, Lady Gaga, and Jay Z. In a very accessible yet detailed way the book covers an amazing breadth of topics and examples: why the different players in the various entertainment sectors operate the way they do -- something you might expect in a book titled 'Blockbusters.' What I wasn't expecting is how the book is going in-depth on digital technologies and how these are transforming the entertainment industry before our eyes. All very interesting, and I learned a lot!

The book explains the reasons why the blockbuster strategy is the best strategy for players in the entertainment sector to pursue in order to have the highest odds of long-term success and as a result why the industry operates like it is and why companies and individuals make certain decisions. The author does not pass judgement on the whole 'blockbusters are good vs. evil' debate, which is refreshing. She explains from a business perspective the reasons why we see companies focusing on blockbusters, and why they are doing so more and more. The book is clearly very well-researched and a joy to read! Highly recommended.
One person found this helpful
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Courtney Fox
4.0 out of 5 stars Great analytics
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2019
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Incredibly analytical and deep dive into entertainment industry, its processes and what makes the hits stand out. Anita had put together a complex study of how companies, record labels and other industry players are breaking through overwhelming media field to present the product and to insure its success. Highly recommended to those who are interested in entertainment, development of the sphere and current trends
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Geoff De Weaver
5.0 out of 5 stars 'Blockbusters : Hit-Making, Risk-Taking, and the Big Business of Entertainment.' - Digital Disruption rocks Entertainment
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2014
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Harvard business professor Anita Elberse has got a 'tour de force' here. By that I mean, her latest book 'Blockbusters : Hit-Making, Risk-Taking, and the Big Business of Entertainment.' - Anita's book and achievement has been accomplished with great skill and years of research with leading Hollywood and the music Industry. Just one of many great findings was about - Warner Bros., the top 10% of films made from 2007 to 2011 accounted for a third of costs and more than 40% of revenues. But, I loved the background on RadioHead, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, and that technology has driven down the cost of creating, finding and distributing content, has paradoxically increased the relative importance of hits. In fact, in 2011, 102 music tracks, 0.001% of the eight million tracks on offer that year, sold more than a million units, representing 15% of total music sales. If you want to better understand why 'Digital Disruption' is impacting the Music + Entertainment Industry - you'll love this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Carol Nogueira
3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing new, but with good stories
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2013
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Nothing really knew for people already in the industry or with a good knowledge of it. But it's worth for the backstage stories.
2 people found this helpful
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Anthony Accardo
5.0 out of 5 stars Groundbreaking work of entertainment industry strategy
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2014
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If you are in entertainment and have assumptions about the future of the industry, READ THIS BOOK. If you are curious about the future of entertainment as a casual bystander, READ THIS BOOK. If you get into arguments with your friends about whether sequels are saving or destroying movies, READ THIS BOOK. In general, READ THIS BOOK.

There are seminal authored works of business management theory that exist today in generalities - The Innovator's Dilemma, The Lean Startup, even Porter's Competitive Advantage of Nations. And then there are the popular management books - eg. Good To Great. None of these books focus on a specific area and also contain a theoretically sound strategy backed by data; Elberse's book is to entertainment management strategy as Innovator's Dilemma is to general innovation strategy.
One person found this helpful
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Xenon 6
4.0 out of 5 stars Why the entertainment industry is now all about the block busters.
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2014
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This is really worth reading if you want to get a deeper understanding of the entertainment business. It has been a real eye opener for me and changed some of my business plans. The entertainment business has become a 'winner takes all' world with the big bets on producing block busters producing the highest returns.

Covers movies, sports, the music business (including those semi-musicians called DJ's.) and television.

A very entertaining and readable work for a Harvard professor.
2 people found this helpful
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Phil Simon
5.0 out of 5 stars This is how capitalism works
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2013
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This was an enjoyable read. I particularly liked the author's thoughts on Chris Anderson's The Long Tail. As someone who is written five previous books, I also enjoyed reading about how the Blockbuster strategy applies to the world of publishing. Self-publishing might have made it easy for people to create their own books, but getting to the next level is virtually impossible.

The case studies are particularly strong, and I also enjoyed the analysis around a bevy of different industries. Finally, it was instructive to read about some of the more innovative deals in music, movies, and film.

I highly recommend this book.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Top business book with elaborate information!
Reviewed in the Netherlands on December 1, 2017
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Heavy but pleasantly presented. It is slow pace book but I feel every sentence written is condensed and meaningful. A perfect mix of success stories and fun but scientific analysis. The best business oriented book I have ever read. Yes it is 100 times better than Rich Dad Poor Dad.
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Jonas.T1989
4.0 out of 5 stars If you work in the sports/media/entertainment business, this is a must!
Reviewed in Germany on November 23, 2017
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After reading some of her HBR business cases in grad school, I decided to purchase this book and read it in an instant. It is a great combination of different 'Hollywood' stories from various different industries! A must for anyone who works in the industry!
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Fabio P
4.0 out of 5 stars uno dei migliori testi sul business dell'entertainment
Reviewed in Italy on April 11, 2017
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ritengo sia uno dei migliori testi sul business dell'entertainment. Scritto da un docende della famosa Harward business school rileva quali sono le strategie di successo nel mondo dell'entertainment: cinema, TV, musica, ecc.
Risulta un po' superficiale quando tratta l'industria dello sport.
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CaptainAwesome
4.0 out of 5 stars I feel like it was written more for education than entertainment
Reviewed in Canada on October 23, 2015
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I feel like it was written more for education than entertainment, but still a good book with lots of interesting stories.
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Luiz Ojima Sakuda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Brazil on November 28, 2014
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Since her article published at HBR, I was expecting to read the "long version" of her argument. As a digital game industry researcher and pratictioner, the book did not disapointed me
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