Entertainments is a broad category of human activity which holds the interest and attention of an audience either for a short time or gives sheer pleasure and amusement. It may be a chore or an action, but tends to be one of those things or events which have evolved over thousands of years particularly for the purpose of retaining an audience’s interest. The word ‘entertainment’ itself has a vague meaning, probably referring to any activity which produces some enjoyment in the viewer. This includes but is not limited to, performances by professionals, dramatic art and music, and sports.
Entertainers tend to develop a persona that the public identify with, especially if that performer develops an extensive repertoire of characters for which he or she becomes known. Examples of this are Adele, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley and Mariah Carey. The free entertainment industry, for example, regularly caters to fans who demand specific types of entertainment. Live entertainment such as concerts, shows, plays and operas are regularly held to attract people and stimulate interest. These kinds of events, in turn, are attended by a wide range of people, young and old, male and female, from all walks of life. All kinds of entertainment can also serve to strengthen bonds of friendship and family.
The entertainment industry employs a large number of people and provides them with a wide variety of benefits including wages, benefits, social status and opportunities to make money. However, in comparison with other businesses, the entertainment industry seems to offer only a few benefits to workers such as steady work, little or no start up costs, high salary and attractive benefits. In essence, the entertainment industry is a backward system of production and distribution with little or no planning and regulation. It is largely an informal enterprise based on improvisation, risk taking and personal initiative. There exists little or no standardization of production and marketing processes, and a great deal of creativity and individualism is required. The result is that the entertainment industry is highly fragmented and free with a very high degree of flexibility.
As the entertainment industry has evolved and developed into a more sophisticated and complicated form, many things have changed and the scope of work has broadened significantly. The main reason behind this has been the evolution of mass media entertainment such as television, cinema, rock music, etc. The mass media entertainment has changed the way people view and access information, and consequently the entertainment industry as well. Mass media entertainment has also changed the face of entertainment, providing customers with shows that are tailor-made for their tastes and age groups. This has increased the competition in the show business significantly.
The classical forms of entertainment, such as the live theatre, the theatre and music concert are still available, but new forms of entertainment are making a strong presence in the show business. These include reality television, stage shows, reality programming, video games, teleseminars, and the like. A trend that has been developing in recent years is that live performing arts, such as the classical forms of theatre and music concert, are becoming more popular, although this trend may not be sustainable in the long term.
The increasing demand and popularity of live performances have meant that the competition for such talents has also intensified. Companies that specialize in providing home entertainment systems have realized that the task of matching a performing artist to a compatible home entertainment system is becoming increasingly difficult. In order to survive in the show business, companies specializing in the provision of home entertainment systems are having to increase their marketing strength in order to retain their existing clientele, and to also attract new clients. The expansion of the home entertainment industry has been fuelled largely by the increase in demand of evening entertainment, and it’s the future that will determine its longevity.