This is an introduction to the media industries, a topic that sometimes has its own course but is also incorporated into courses on media criticism, media literacy, and even a basic mass media course where the instructor wishes to teach from topical paperbacks as opposed to a big textbook. The book examines the influence of media industry organization and practices on society; at the same time, it offers students pursuing both scholarly and professional careers related to the media industries a comprehensive overview of how the industries work, why they work as they do, and what the broader theoretical and practical implications of the media industries are. Questions such as "why is media industry organization important?," "how do we make sense of media industry changes?" and "what are the key issues facing media industries?" animate the analysis.