Any millennial knows the surefire way to become a millionaire — think of something that everyone needs, and turn it into an app. “Created an app” has slowly become the new “started a small business,” and everyone, from celebrities to very passionate everyday people, seems to have subscribed to the latest craze.
Now it appears that, in terms of being a platform for customization and theoretical wealth, apps have a serious competitor, especially on the celebrity side. New streaming services have been popping up almost every day, one of the most recent being comedian Kevin Hart’s “Laugh Out Loud,” a service he plans to make available this fall that will contain his own original content and other media he recommends.
Not too long ago, when you wanted to listen to a song, you either found it on YouTube or bought it on iTunes. Today, there are a plethora of virtual spaces, ready with millions of songs to be played at your whim. Pandora found a hipster younger brother in Spotify, 8tracks became Spotify’s cool cousin and Tidal became the uppity uncle who somehow managed to hoard a substantial amount of music and annoy the whole family. Even iTunes got with the times and decided to make Apple Music.
But obviously, as Hart’s new plans suggest, the streaming hasn’t stopped with music. There are the standard movie and TV streaming services (the ever-loved Netflix and HBO Go) and then the more specific ones (ever heard of BroadwayHD? It’s a streaming service just for musicals).
The number of sites ready to throw content at you for hours on end can seem daunting, even to the most seasoned Netflix and Spotify aficionado. Sites that were created as a one-stop shop for every type of a certain media are facing competition from other platforms doing the exact same thing. It’s like living in a town with a different library on each corner, except one of the libraries has an entrance fee and for some reason is also run by Jay Z.
Yet even though streaming sites are a dime a dozen, the famed and fortunate are still out to create their own. According to Variety, Hart’s new service will “serve as the exclusive home for all content created by Hart outside his theatrical and live touring activities and include original series starring Hart — such as a hidden-camera premium original series in which Hart stars as an undercover Lyft driver.”
“I understand the direction in which the television business is headed,” Hart said in an interview with the publication, “and I see this big new space toward which audiences are starting to gravitate. I believe that launching this venture together now puts us ahead of the pack.”
But is Hart ahead of the pack or falling behind? Depending on how many more streaming services the public can stomach, we’re about to find out.
