Media Convergence & Music Video Online (43054900)

Media Convergence & Music Video Online

As technology develops, media takes on new forms that build on what has come previously to some degree (Jenkins, 2006). The process by which media combines - be it film and audio, or phone and mp3-player – is called convergence (Dwyer, 2010). Digital media convergence has been indisputably illustrated by the migration of music video from dedicated music channels and shows on television (such as MTV and ABC’s Rage) to online streaming services such as YouTube. The music industry has faced it’s fair share of change due to media convergence; the transition from vinyl to tape, tape to CD and CD to iTunes, and running parallel to this last transformation has been the global trend to consume media online. If songs are to be bought and sourced from online music distributors, such as iTunes, then it makes sense that music video appears in an online digital form. YouTube since launching in 2005 has seen a staggering level of growth, due to its ease of access and low barrier for entry – anyone with a video camera, computer and internet-access can upload to YouTube. Many short films, advertisements, comedy acts and amateur videos have found success on the video-hosting service (going “viral”)(Hilderbrand, 2007), and other similar websites, so it comes to no surprise that the music industry has formed a strong presence on the site.

In an attempt to control and direct the market, major record labels have made the move to online music videos, with VEVO hosting and distributing the music of almost all “traditionally” major artists, with viewership in the hundreds of millions. By hosting all their content on one site, or adding “VEVO” to their YouTube channel, major labels are hoping to create a sense of brand familiarity, and control what gets advertised along the sides of these 100 Million viewer hits and introduce to consumers other artists signed by the same label. Changes in digital media technology has meant an increased demand by consumers to watch what they want to watch, when they want to watch it, rather than waiting for a countdown or particular artist to feature on MTV. Viewers can and do frequently view their favourite videos without having to wade through music they may not particularly like (such as in traditional televised media) and this has meant that a clip that might get a couple hundred thousand views on ABC’s Rage over a few weeks of airing, is now getting millions of views in a fraction of that time. The music industry is facing a formidable crisis of music piracy and file sharing (Hilderbrand, 2007), and so in comparison the transition to online music video has been largely beneficial for the industry. With many more views, and hyperlinks to purchase the music now on iTunes, record labels are in the best possible position given the circumstances.

While MTV may have shifted its focus to reality television and Rage is only on at inopportune times, the music video industry is quite clearly not dead (Sibilla, 2008). So in demand are music videos on sites like YouTube, that there has been success for music videos that lack a video element, that is, songs put to low-quality effects and scrolling lyrics, some featuring album artwork or concert footage. Taylor Swift’s latest single is in such high demand that her record label has put out a filler video where her music video will go (a cheap and quick animation of the lyrics), just to attend to those (currently 10 million) consumers who want to hear her music, before the release of an official music video (Brodsky, 2012).

This process has been picked up by many artists, showcasing songs that aren’t singles, or weren’t quite big enough to be given the budget for a music video. Amateurs will upload the song and put it to words, and companies like VEVO are noticing the trend and doing the same, just to maintain their viewership and to keep their audiences attention focused on their brand and artists. Below is a Katy Perry clip uploaded by her official VEVO channel with over 8 million views, which is just the audio and album art.

Whilst the transition of music video from televised media to online counterparts constitutes an example of digital media convergence, it is also worth noting that there are other types of media overlapping with music video, with the goal of supporting each other through synergy (Wessles, 2011). Blockbuster films have faced, albeit not quite so severely, the threat of online re-distribution and piracy, and have also made the migration to video-hosting services such as YouTube to promote their product. Jaden Smith teamed up with friend Justin Bieber to produce a song - “Never Say Never” - and accompanying music video, which featured excerpts from Jaden Smith’s 2010 film “The Karate Kid”, in an effort to promote the upcoming film, and in return was featured in the film to promote Justin Bieber and his music. The convergence of film and music video in an online form managed to reach over 333 million viewers to date, as one of the most popular music videos on YouTube.

Music video’s migration to a free online format has not necessarily had the negative effect the music industry had initially feared (Sibilla, 2008), as it has resulted in unprecedented popularity by many unheard artists, and an increased viewership that can be targeted and directed by what they choose to watch on YouTube. The industry has observed and learnt from the online community, and taken lessons in getting their product to the consumer, even if unfinished (such as the Taylor Swift clip); just to get the fans something to sink their teeth into. By placing their product online and in accessible format, the music industry has made a progressive step into a digitally convergent future, and will be able to manage this transitional period. Online music video enables media outlets to focus advertising and target fans of certain artists, in order to increase viewership of similar artists, only forwarding the industry and expanding their audience’s perspectives. MTV and ABC’s Rage were fantastic avenues for music video, but as technology enables the music and media industry to access vast libraries of streamed video, it can better accommodate its consumers and maintain the promotion of their various products and artists. Music video is a media type that is not fading out,  but making an important convergent step to the online realm, and as such is a perfect example of digital media convergence.

References:

Texts

Dwyer, T, 2010, Media Convergence, McGraw Hill, Berkshire

Hilderbrand, L, 2007, ‘YouTube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge’, Film Quarterly, Vol. 61

Jenkins, H, 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, NY University Press

Sibilla, G, 2008, ‘It’s the End of Music Videos as We Know Them, But We Feel Fine: The Death and Resurrection of Music Videos in the YouTube Age’, in Keazor, H & Wübbena, T (ed.), Rewind, Play, Fast Forward: The Past, Present and Future of The Music Video, Transaction Publishers, London

Online Articles

Wessles, E, 2011, 'Where were you when the monster hit? Media convergence, branded security citizenship and the transmedia phenomenon of Cloverfield' Convergence, vol 17 no 1 pp 69 - 83 http://con.sagepub.com/content/17/1/69.full.pdf+html

Brodsky, R, 2012, Sneak Peek: Taylor Swift Parties On In Her 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' Video!, MTV, http://buzzworthy.mtv.com/2012/08/29/taylor-swift-we-are-never-ever-getting-back-together-video-sneak-peek/


Video

Never Say Never ft. Jaden Smith, online video, Bieber, J., Smith, J. & The Island Def Jam Music Group, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z5-P9v3F8w

The One That Got Away, online video, Perry, K. & Capitol Records, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePQe5E69INg

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Lyric Video), online video, Taylor Swift & Big Machine Records, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcMn_Eu-XTE