by the late 1950s, the motion picture business was in trouble. the combination of the studio/theater-chain break-up and the rise of television caused the mass audience to stop visiting theaters, probably forever. the music corporation of america (better known as mca), mainly a talent agency, had also become a powerful television producer, renting space at republic studios for its revue studios subsidiary. after a period of complete shutdown, a moribund universal agreed to sell its (by now) studio lot to mca in 1958, for $11 million. although mca owned the studio lot, but not universal pictures, it was increasingly influential on universal's product. the studio lot was upgraded and modernized, while mca clients like doris day, lana turner, and cary grant were signed to universal pictures contracts.