Music Video Online

MUSIC VIDEO ONLINE: FAD OR FUTURE?

By: Samuel Bauermeister - 42867290

The emergence of the internet revolution created one of the greatest technological shifts of all time. For the first time in human history, technology had shaped our cultural, social and economical understand of the globe as human beings were able to bend space and time to achieve an evolution of mass communication (Thompson 1999). As the internet continued to grow, many found potential in the ability of the world wide web to expand business and cultural ideas, thus, digital convergence allowed not only major corporations but the individual to advertise their ideas for an audience of billions (Dwyer 2010). The field of music video was always considered a fad that would eventually die out, however; the internet has ultimately exposed a new light on the potential for music video to promote bands, artists and the music industry in general. In this new media age, where illegal pirating and streaming have exposed the wrath of convergence, the online music video industry has given meaning to a once thought 'dying' fad.

'The Jazz Singer' - The First Audio/Visual
Crossover (1927)

With it's origins dating back to the first ever 'talkie' film, music video has become a popular medium for artists to express their music in the visual realm. The potential of music video first arose from the introduction of MTV, a music network that played music videos on a 24/7 basis. Established in 1981, the 'Music Television' network became widely popular for its ability in playing music videos, a format which had not yet been explored. The cable network demonstrated the potential in media convergence by converging audio and film to create a space where the individual could indulge in the power of media at a time where digital media had begun to take over peoples lives (Sheehan, Morrison 2009). 

Australian public broadcasting network ABC later saw the potential and popularity of music and launched a music video show in 1987 that played distinctly local content for a broad Australian audience. Rage allowed almost any music video content to be played to the Australian masses, uninterrupted by commercials or individual segments by hosts. Already considered as a revolution to the potential of digital media, the program has warmly opened to digital convergence, transitioning from old to new media. Rage can now be watched online on ABC's internet streaming service iView and a Rage application for iPhone and Android, ultimately meeting the needs of a convergent society (Jenkins 2006).

Youtube: Established in
February 2005  

Since it's peak of popularity in the 1980's, music videos popularity in television has greatly declined. The once-leader of music video television, MTV, now air a constant stream of reality television programs with little airtime playing actual music videos. This could be due to the rising leadership the internet has taken in providing the individual with digital entertainment where everything is accessible, leaving the television redundant. Music videos also have an attached stigma that portrays the act 'selling out' to the commercial world of music (Wall 2010). However, whilst in television music videos fail, the internet has given a once dying format new life, making it even more popular than its introduction in the twentieth century. The birth of Youtube in 2005 gave the user complete control of their content without the boundaries made by television (Hilderbrand 2007). Users were now able to access whichever music video they wanted to view without waiting for it to be played on television. Currently eight out of ten of the most viewed videos on Youtube are music videos, with Justin Beiber's 'Baby' being the most viewed with over 750,000,000 views. The clear evidence of music videos popularity online demonstrates that whilst the television has become an unreliable source for music video media, the internet has become the new default operating system to view this digital content. 

Many bands have seen the potential of the internet as a medium to reach the masses. In 2012, American hardcore band 'The Chariot' released a teaser trailer for the release of their new album, 'One Wing'. The trailer was watched internationally and with Youtube's forum like approach
to mass communication allowed fans of the band to discuss their thoughts on the video. This two-way form of communication has expanded the potential of music video by giving the fans a voice. Music networks have attempted to catch up on the current state of digital media by allowing the viewers to 'tweet' their thoughts on the music videos being played at the time. This attempt to compete with the internet's forum style demonstrates that in order for music video to continue, convergence must play a major role in giving the listener/watcher a voice. Other notable uses of bands using Youtube include progressive rock band 'The Mars Volta' releasing a series of Question and Answers videos in which fans would tweet or comment on their videos asking questions which would later be answered by both members of the band. 

In 2010, a viral campaign was launched promoting '25 for Haiti', an organization that promoted aid for Haiti after a series of Earthquakes that left over a million homeless. Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's hit 'We Are the World', 25 For Haiti launched a cover song performed by a large group of successful musicians from contemporary pop music, similar to the original which was launched in 1985. Featuring an introduction from Jamie Foxx, the remake featured artists such as Adam Levine, Justin Beiber and Alicia Keys. As well as the video, all proceeds of the iTunes digital download went towards rebuilding Haiti. The video has been viewed by over 100,000,000 people with the 'We Are the World Foundation' reaching far over its initial goals two years later. The viral campaign demonstrated the ability of online music videos reaching the masses highlighting the potential of the convergent audience (Thompson 1999). The combination of the political and music/video realm creates a combination never before experienced, one that was born from the transition of old to new media (Keazor, Wübbena 2010)

The birth of the music video created a brand new industry to the digital media landscape. Despite it's death in television, convergence has given new life to the fields of audio and visual   musical entertainment. It's ability to reach the masses and encouragement of mass communication ensures that online music video and its popularity has a very bright future.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Dwyer, T (2010) "Media Convergence" McGraw Hill, Berkshire. pp. 1-23

Hilderbrand, L (2007) "Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge" Film Quarterly, Vol. 61

Jenkins, H (2004) "The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence", In International Journal of Cultural Studies V1, pp. 33-43 viewed Friday 23 August <http://ics.sagepub.com/content/7/1/33.full.pdf>

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

Keazor, H and Wübbena, T (2010) "Rewind, Play, Fast Forward: The Past, Present and Future of The Music Video" Transaction Publishers, London


"One Wing" (2012), Online Video, TheChariot. Viewed 25 August <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9KdJvseAHY&feature=channel&list=UL>


Sheehan, K. and Morrison D. (2009) "Beyond Convergence: Confluence Culture and the Role of the Advertising Agency in a Changing World" in First Monday Vol. 14 No. 3. Viewed Friday 23 August <http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2239/2121>


"The Mars Volta - Questions from Fans #1" (2012), Online Video, TheMarsVolta. Viewed 25 August <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWMTyMIMJpg&feature=channel&list=UL>

Thompson, J (1999) "The Media and Modernity" in Hugh Mackay and Tim O'Sullivan (eds) The Media Reader: Continuity and Transformation, Sage, London, pp. 12-27

Wall, Mick. 2010. ‘Enter Night: Metallica’. Orion Books. London, England

"We Are The World 25 For Haiti - Official Video" (2010) Online Video, Wearetheworld. Viewed 23 August <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Glny4jSciVI>

We Are the World Foundation, (2011) "Our Efforts". Viewed 23 August <http://wearetheworldfoundation.org/our-efforts/>