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Kevin Spacey on Netflix: 'we have learned the lesson that the music industry didn't'

Kevin Spacey on Netflix: 'we have learned the lesson that the music industry didn't'

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House of Cards promotional still Kevin Spacey
House of Cards promotional still Kevin Spacey

When David Fincher and Kevin Spacey's House of Cards debuted earlier this year, it didn't just make waves because Netflix was creating high-profile original content — it also made an impact because it was released with all episodes available at the same time. The Telegraph reports that Kevin Spacey recently spoke at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, and made the case to traditional networks and production companies that the Netflix strategy was the way of the future, and they should embrace its audience-pleasing model as a new path forward. With House of Cards, he said, "we have demonstrated that we have learned the lesson that the music industry didn't learn. Give people what they want, when they want it, in the form they want it in, at a reasonable price — and they'll more likely pay for it rather than steal it."

For audiences today, Spacey said, the distinctions between film, television, and other types of programing are breaking down. "The device and the length are irrelevant," Spacey said, pointing out that a movie is no less a "film" just because it's viewed at home rather than in a movie theater. "It's all content," he said. "It's just story." It's a stirring call to action for fans of film and television as well as those that create it. To hear him make the case — and to find out how Kevin Spacey pronounces "GIF" — check out the video below.