The study of media industries has become a thriving subfield of media studies. It already comprises a diverse intellectual history, a range of fascinating questions and topics, and many theoretical and methodological frameworks.

Media Industry Studies provides the roadmap to this vibrant area of study. Blending a comprehensive overview of foundational literature with an examination of the varied scales and sites media industry studies have considered, the book explores connections among research questions, topics, and methodologies. It includes examples from many media industries – film, television, journalism, music, games – and incorporates emerging scholarship considering the industrial contexts of social and internet-distributed media.

Offering an account of the intellectual traditions and approaches that have defined the subfield to date, Media Industry Studies is an indispensable resource for upper-level undergraduates, postgraduates, and scholars.

“Three excellent scholars have provided a concise but remarkably comprehensive survey of a burgeoning field of study. It will be an indispensable introduction for newcomers, and a key reference point for analysts.”
David Hesmondhalgh, University of Leeds 

“For anyone approaching the critical study of media industries, this useful and highly accessible source is packed with valuable insights. The book builds excellent foundations on which to understand the multiple dynamics involved with making media into an ‘industry’ and the roles that media industries play in shaping cultural life.”
Paul McDonald, King’s College London

“A highly resourceful account of a burgeoning area of research in media studies. … The thoughtfully laid out heuristic models serve as springboards for researchers to take a leap into their respective areas of interests.”
Media Practice and Education

"A very welcome contribution to a burgeoning area of discussion and debate."
Media International Australia

Daniel Herbert is Associate Professor of Film, Television and Media at the University of Michigan.
Amanda D. Lotz is Professor of Digital Media and Communication at Queensland University of Technology.
Aswin Punathambekar is Associate Professor of Media Studies at the University of Virginia.