From Napster to Netflix: What Hollywood Can Learn from Music’s Comeback

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Mar 17, 2025

While we’re all freaking out about disruption, maybe we should take a page from the music industry.

Think about how the walled garden of music was breached by Napster. It began a twenty year long overhaul that has led to its current standing as a 36.2 billion dollar industry with 15% growth over the last two years.

But it wasn’t a smooth ride. Napster landed the first blow but then there was the iPod, direct to consumer distribution like Soundcloud and Distrokid and now we live in a world ruled by Spotify.

Anybody want to buy a Tower Records?

But it didn’t stop there. Cost of production was driven down to essentially zero with the introduction of DAWS (digital audio workstations) like Ableton, Logic and Reason. Anybody could become a producer if they took the time to learn the software.

See any parallels? Netflix taking down Blockbuster, full feature lengths being shot on iPhones and more recently the surge of AI filmmaking.

The signs are there.

The Music industry went into free fall. But it came back stronger than ever.

Open Gardener Mitch Camarda spent 10 years in the music industry, and he broke down the playbook for how that happened—and how we might use it for inspiration in film and TV.

The Big Moves That Saved Music

Turn Artists into Brands, Not Just Creators: Labels found lasting success by evolving artists from musicians into full-fledged cultural brands. Superstars like Rihanna created vast ecosystems across beauty, fashion and philanthropy, while emerging talents such as Dominic Fike and PinkPantheress are strategically crafting distinct personal brands through unique visual styles and multi-platform storytelling.

Expand IP Beyond the Core Product: Today, music releases are merely the starting point for deeper fan engagement. Beyoncé transformed albums into cinematic experiences and global fashion moments, while artists like Omar Apollo and Remi Wolf similarly create immersive visual universes and interactive digital events, turning listeners into active participants.

Build Active Fan Communities: Fanbases today are active, vocal communities—not just passive listeners. Taylor Swift revolutionized fan engagement through direct conversations and hidden clues, while newer voices like Laufey and Beabadoobee actively nurture intimate fan interactions through Discord and TikTok, fostering genuine loyalty.

Merge IP with Fashion & Lifestyle Brands: Strategic partnerships have allowed artists at all levels to become cultural tastemakers. Rising stars like Steve Lacy and Ice Spice are setting new cultural benchmarks through influential streetwear partnerships and exclusive fashion drops.

Transform Fans Into Creative Partners: Artists like Charli XCX and The Weeknd have openly sourced fan input to shape singles and remix albums, while emerging acts like Magdalena Bay and Fred again.. invite their audiences to contribute visual art, remix stems, and even song ideas directly through online communities, blurring the traditional lines between creator and fan.

How Hollywood Could Apply the Playbook

Universal Could Turn Jordan Peele into the Next Beyoncé

Music labels don’t just release albums; they elevate talent into cultural powerhouses. Columbia Records turned Beyoncé into a global brand through visual albums, fashion collaborations, and exclusive content.

Universal could apply this strategy to filmmakers like Jordan Peele.

Imagine horror-focused podcasts hosted by Peele, limited-edition apparel inspired by Nope and Get Out, and documentary-style content that gives fans a deeper look into his creative process. Instead of simply making films, Peele could become a culture-defining brand all financed and supported by Universal.

Warner Bros. Can Personalize the ‘Dune’ Universe—Like Spotify Does with Your Favorite Artists

Music labels like Republic and Columbia have mastered the art of using data-driven personalization, creating targeted playlists, tailored marketing, and intimate fan experiences based on listener behavior on platforms like Spotify.

Warner Bros. could apply this approach to the Dune franchise, transforming passive viewers into actively engaged fans. By launching an AI-powered platform like ‘MyDune’ the studio could deliver personalized storytelling, customized trailers featuring fans’ favorite characters, tailored digital collectibles, and immersive narratives adapted to individual viewing habits—just like Spotify curates your favorite music. Fans wouldn’t just watch Dune, they’d experience a version specifically crafted for them.

Disney+ Can Build Marvel Communities Like RCA Built SZA’s Fanbase

Music labels don’t settle for passive listeners—they create interactive fan communities. RCA Records nurtured super fans around artists like SZA and Doja Cat through Discord servers, Twitch streams, and exclusive content.

Disney+ could build something similar for Marvel and Star Wars superfans. A dedicated ‘Marvel Insider Hub’ could offer fans early scripts, behind-the-scenes insights, interactive Q&As with actors, and opportunities to co-create merchandise. This deeper engagement would transform casual viewers into lifelong super fans.

Amazon Could Turn ‘The Boys’ into the Next Gucci x Harry Styles

Music labels know how to position artists as cultural tastemakers. Harry Styles became more than a musician through high-profile fashion collaborations and carefully curated brand deals.

Amazon Studios could apply this model to The Boys. Imagine streetwear collaborations with Supreme, collectible sneakers inspired by Homelander’s suit, or high-fashion pop-ups showcasing limited-edition merchandise tied to the show. Fans wouldn’t just watch The Boys—they’d wear its culture.

Paramount Can Turn Fans into Co-Owners—Like 3LAU Did with Music

Music producer and DJ 3LAU reshaped the artist-fan relationship by launching Royal, a blockchain-based platform enabling fans to directly invest in music and earn royalties alongside artists.

Paramount could similarly revolutionize audience involvement by launching ‘Paramount Story Shares’, fractionalizing IP rights for films or limited series. Filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and Brass Knuckle Films could offer fans direct ownership stakes in iconic films like El Mariachi, allowing them to pitch story concepts, vote on creative directions, and earn actual royalties—transforming audiences into genuine creative partners.

Thinking Bigger: Our True North

Let’s pull back and think bigger. Where are we going next? In the next five years, how will Netflix and Prime be treating its talent? What businesses will they be in?

The music labels developed their 360 model with a different intention than legacy media will have. For the labels it was all about IP ownership and control at scale. Acquiring as many catalogues as they possibly could during the disruption.

Their power was in consolidation. Universal bought Polygram, Sony bought BMG and Warner bought Parlophone. Between these acquisitions, the catalogues of The Beatles, Coldplay, Radiohead and countless others belonged in the hands of the biggest entities of their industry.

But the labels didn’t stop there. By owning the past and ensuring they would be able to monetize and control the most valuable assets in music, they then completely changed their operating procedure moving forward. The intention? To make sure that they developed, funded and controlled every revenue stream around an artist and thus ensuring that their bread and butter business would retain value, despite the changing of the tide. On top of that, these entities also leaned in hard to the technological changes and invested heavily into integration.

What the labels realized is that in order to make their product worth the time and investment, they would need to control every aspect around it. The way to build a superstar is not just rely that their talent will do the work, but to build a foundation of businesses around them that succeed on a global scale.

The creators are our true north.

This is where legacy media needs to adapt their thinking. Traditional studios need to add verticals like podcasting, live events, publishing, fashion initiatives, etc into their infrastructure so talent and creators can seamlessly access them. Studios need to look at a filmmaker like a business (or multiple businesses). The film or TV series is really just one part of it. The driving force is the creator themselves and how they as a brand can branch out into different areas. The more spaces they engage with, the more the community is nurtured and thus creating the vacuum of habitual viewers and consumers.

Are there companies operating like this? YES! And that is the scary part because it isn’t anyone in the traditional media space. Companies like NIGHT, and Whalar are centering their business models around creators. They are empowering creators by bringing brand opportunities, access to venture capital and creating roadmaps on how to build new verticals into larger profitable businesses. But, what they can’t do yet is offer an ability to foray into scripted and movies. That’s not to say they aren’t moving in that direction. Eventually, they will be able to offer that too.

As new media companies move to take marketshare and do what legacy has always done (but much quicker), the answer for Warner Brothers, Paramount and Sony is to let go of the idea of what they have always been.

A great example is Amazon buying Wondery, setting the stage for the ability to add podcasting to the flywheel of opportunities for filmmakers if that is something they want to do.

Traditional studios are the leaders in premium scripted content and large scale productions. New Media companies like Whalar and Night are the leaders in creator economy business and all that comes with it. But, it appears that we are all moving in the same direction.

Inevitably, as legacy studios add these new skills and consolidate they will start to reflect what a modern new media business looks like and as those businesses foray in to film and tv — they will have areas that will look like traditional studios. All roads seem to lead to a similar place — 360 one stop shops for creators.

We will all meet in the middle. But, if legacy media doesn’t move as quickly as these new companies do, they will be last to the table.

The Singularity of Content: No More Lines, Just Creators

Ray Kurzweil’s singularity principle predicts a future where technology advances so fast that old distinctions vanish. The same is happening in entertainment. The line between social media-driven content and legacy Hollywood?

Gone.

The future isn’t “traditional” or “digital.” It’s just creators—piping content directly to their communities, across every format, on every platform, without gatekeepers.

We’re not heading towards a world where Hollywood and the creator economy coexist in separate lanes. We’re accelerating toward a total merge. The companies that empower creators with Hollywood-level infrastructure will dominate. The ones that don’t will be relics.

New media companies are evolving quickly. Soon, they’ll be developing and financing premium scripted and unscripted projects too. When that happens, they won’t just be the competition. They’ll be Hollywood 2.0.

Hollywood has one shot to stay ahead. It needs to think like a label—offering full 360-degree support for filmmakers, just like the music industry does for artists. That means not just funding films, but building entire ecosystems around creators: live events, podcasts, publishing, commerce, interactive experiences—the full playbook.

A24 is a company we broke down for thinking like a creator. Their mix of curation, creator centered approach and innovative marketing is something that sets them apart from their contemporaries. Another way to look at it is A24 operates like a label. Rather than rely on the product to do all of the work, every project they produce is a 360 engagement that touches everything from clothing drops to podcasts to live events — just like a label would.

For producers, the opportunity is clear: align with filmmakers who have the talent but not yet the infrastructure to operate like full-scale creator brands. Be the bridge.

For filmmakers, the mission is to break down the barriers of what it means to create. A film isn’t just a film. It’s the nucleus of an entire world—one that extends into every medium and builds an engaged, habitual audience.

For studios, the challenge is existential. The next generation of creators won’t be waiting for permission. If legacy media wants to be relevant in the singularity era, it needs to transform itself into the most compelling playground for these creators—offering resources, differentiation, and infrastructure they can’t get anywhere else.

This is exactly how the music industry survived its own disruption. Labels didn’t just sell albums—they turned artists into brands, built businesses around them, and captured every possible revenue stream beyond music. That’s why the biggest artists today aren’t just musicians; they’re global empires.

Hollywood now faces the same moment of reinvention. The future belongs to those who don’t just tell great stories, but who build entire economies around them.

At Open Gardens we’ve been looking at the bigger trends, shifts and where the future is going. Now we are going to start to shift to HOW legacy businesses can move into the Creator Economy and HOW the creator economy can (and is) moving into the business that legacy has always controlled. Stay tuned!