5 levels of production in media

In class on Tuesday, we discussed the 5 levels of the production of media. I must admit that it took some time to grasp how much is incorporated into media production and distribution. Thinking about it in terms of my life, I considered the process of the creation and distribution of a CD I purchased recently, "Innocence and Instinct" by the group Red. Producers include the artists, the label, the recording studio executives, the management, the marketers, and more people than I probably know are even involved in the process of music-making. Rights owners span to cover everyone from the artists to the label owners, including many of the people considered producers. Content Aggregators would be those who set up the band's site, along with fansites and street team coordinators. Distributors would largely involve the label again, but would include all stores who sell the CD, as well, and in my case, sites that sell the whole CD in mp3 form. And finally, hardware producers include everyone who makes mp3 players (in my case, Dell) to the people who make the system in my car. Production is bigger than I ever realized or imagined.