Thursday, July 21, 2005

Give 'Em Hell Harry! Old Media Trumps New

Last weekend's release of the latest Harry Potter demonstrates yet again how the power of the imagination trumps manufactured entertainment every time. JK Rowlings latest installment sold over 6 million copies of the new HP series within 24 hours of its much anticipated release. Scholastic, Rowling's publisher, expects to sell nearly 30 Million copies during the first few months of the release. That's nearly double the 18 million sold of the previous HP installment. It appears that with each release in the series the audience for Our Boy Harry, and their insatiable appetite for all things Harry, multiplies exponentially.

In this era of over-hyped multiplatinum video game/DVD/CD/mashup/podcast/PSP/ringtone releases, hats off to old media's ability to capture the headlines and-- most importantly-- the fertile imagination of millions the world over by the simple application of black type to white paper.

Viva Gutenberg!

No comments: