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When it comes to entertainment, creators and audiences are constantly pushing boundaries.
Creators must concoct exciting new ideas, whether in the realm of music, film, gaming, or even fashion. They’re on the hunt for impactful new ideas and concepts.
Audiences, on the other hand, have the final say in which trends take off and which flop. Though, like creators, they’re also on the hunt for something fresh and new, they can be unflinching in their critiques.
In other words, most new releases in entertainment either take off or sink upon release. Only a select few projects (whether an album or a new TV show), will go on to attain cult status.
Still, there are plenty of niches in the wild and varied world of entertainment. From games to films to fashion, there’s always a smaller and highly interesting niche on the horizon. Can you name some of the best-performing (and surprising) categories in entertainment?
Games: Casinos
Overwhelmingly, the focus of the gaming industry is on big-name releases, eSports matches, and high-profile streamers.
Gaming has become more competitive and cutting-edge over the last decade… but millions of players around the world still prefer casino games. In fact, virtual casinos have been around since the 1990s.
Slots are the top pick today for players across the world, as they package the short-and-sweet setup of a casual game with the excitement of a potential win.
Beyond the scope of slots, players also enjoy blackjack, roulette, and exciting new interactive live dealer games.
Film: Arthouse
Arthouse cinema is a relatively new moniker that’s used to describe films that combine unconventional narratives and even more experimental filmmaking techniques.
In other words, these films push the boundaries when it comes to storytelling conventions. Most also include an existential twist.
Since Arthouse style emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s, its diversified greatly. Still, many films tend to focus on a romantic twist, including Arthouse standouts like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Lobster.
TV: True Crime
People tend to shy away from life’s more horrible realities. That’s even true in the realm of fictional filmmaking—audiences still tend to regard the horror genre as niche. But that doesn’t mean viewers aren’t interested in true crime.
In the realm of television, this sector has taken off over the last twenty years. Part of the intrigue is all that blood and gore and mystery; these stories are naturally riveting from a narrative perspective.
But there’s also a strong emphasis on the investigation, including forensic science and police work. In other words, there’s a strong ‘whodunnit’ element at play.
Music: Linguistic Mashups
For decades, American music fans have had options in terms of language. English remains the overwhelming focus—but Spanish has crept onto the airwaves more and more.
Over the last ten years, the linguistic reach of the average performer has expanded greatly.
Today, singers and pop stars are venturing into new territory, far beyond the bounds of a Spanglish mashup.
Megan Thee Stallion, for example, released ‘Otaku Hot Girl’, which includes multiple verses in Japanese.
Though these types of crossovers have been around for decades, they’re starting to take off and enter the mainstream.
Fashion: Livestream Shopping
Usually, shopping has been a slow art form. While some shoppers stick to preferred brands and might only spend their money on new lines, others are more willing to take chances.
In the world of fashion, one of the hottest new concepts in the industry is livestream shopping. Like the title suggests, this revolves around making purchases during live streams.
There’s a degree of excitement behind this, as buyers are usually watching one of their favorite social media personalities discuss and handle a product.
That can up the interest level for remote watchers who might decide to bid on the item. There’s a heavy focus on luxury commerce here—but this type of livestream sale could soon become a way for indie creators to sell their goods live too.
Podcasts: Live shows
A live podcast show… sounds a lot like radio, doesn’t it? Many trends in entertainment have a strange way of circling back.
In the world of podcasts, live shows have started to take off—building on the hype and nostalgia of radio shows. One study from Loopex Digital found that one in ten podcasts today choose to regularly go live.
The goal is to engage more audience members, through call-in Q&Ss, phone-in debates, giveaway contests, and more.
Once again, this harkens back to the very best from the world of live radio. However, many podcasts are also bundling video with their releases, meaning podcasting is treading closely to streaming territory, too.
Live events: Into the Metaverse
The future of live concerts has come under the microscope over the last few years. Technology of all stripes is looking to streamline how live events are hosted and attended—but VR and AR are taking things in a new direction.
Companies like Soundscape are paving the way for a new type of live event experience through the power of VR.
VR has the potential to revolutionize how people attend major concerts, performances, and events by letting them attend remotely.
Facebook’s Metaverse, Fortnite, and other platforms have successfully hosted virtual concerts since 2020.
Performances from Ariana Grande, Travis Scott, and other major pop names have taken to virtual stages to great success.
VR: Tutorials
That brings us to one of the most unique sectors in entertainment: VR. As outlined in the live events section, VR is slated to put virtual live events on the map.
Along with a steadily growing roster of VR games, this factor hints that virtual gaming will truly take off over the next decade.
But at the moment, some of the most interesting applications of VR don’t actually tread into entertainment territory (even if that’s what the tech was designed for).
Instead, many educational institutions are relying on VR to help introduce students to complex topics. For example, medical students might use a VR game to emulate surgery rather than use a physical model.
