Democratization of entertainment?

A good NY Times article about user-developed content on the net.

From photo- and calendar-sharing services to "citizen journalist" sites
and annotated satellite images, the Internet is morphing yet again. A
remarkable array of software systems makes it simple to share anything
instantly, and sometimes enhance it along the way….

…the abundance of user-generated content – which includes
online games, desktop video and citizen journalism sites – is reshaping
the debate over file sharing. Many Internet industry executives think
it poses a new kind of threat to Hollywood, the recording industry and
other purveyors of proprietary content: not piracy of their work, but a
compelling alternative.

The new services offer a bottom-up
creative process that is shifting the flow of information away from a
one-way broadcast or publishing model, giving rise to a wave of new
business ventures and touching off a scramble by media and technology
companies to respond.

Yay, I hope so. When I read about the Supreme Court’s file-sharing decision my thought was: "Let Hollywood stick with the model that limits entertainment opportunities to a small elite who make zillions of dollars. I think there are many, many talented people on the net waiting to express themselves and participate in sharing ideas and talent." From blogs, to home-brew video I think a lot of talent is out there to be discovered and compete for the dollar with big-name talent. I hope the result is a lot more options and a lot lower prices for entertainment. If big-time actors lose their jobs they can always run for governor of California.