DIGITAL MEDIA CONVERGENCE AND THE ONLINE MUSIC VIDEO
Digital media convergence can be defined as the coming together of previous separate technologies and medias in one place, platform or device. In terms of music videos, digital media convergence can be seen in the evolution they have undergone from the 1970’s to the 20th Century and most importantly how these music videos are now made available online. The development of the relationship between digital media convergence and online music videos can be seen in stages of the broadcasting platforms used to access music videos. The most significant broadcasting platforms include the 1970’s television program Countdown, the 1980’s television channel MTV and the 20th Century video sharing website, Youtube. With these stages of broadcast, the transformation in which music videos have undergone to present a new and highly convergent online music video can be represented. Music videos can themselves represent convergence as they incorporate many aspects of digital media, including various aspects of audio and visual effects.
Digital media convergence has allowed music videos to undergo a revolutionary transformation in terms of their presentation and broadcast, specifically due to the creation of YouTube. Before YouTube changed the way in which society accesses videos, MTV was a stepping-stone from the television show Countdown, which is responsible for introducing the concept of music television to Australia. Countdown began broadcasting in November 1974 on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and was one of the first television shows in the world to promote the regular use of the music video as a major part of its programming. In the beginning, Countdown consisted primarily of live musical performances but made the transition in the late 80’s to incorporate pre recorded music videos. Countdown can represent digital media convergence, as it was one of the first television shows to air an episode made entirely in colour in January 1975, as well as several of the first convergent music videos in audio and visual aspects such as Whitney Houston’s Want to Dance with Somebody. It is through the creation of Countdown, that was can see the beginning of music videos transformation towards their current form today.
A YouTube Clip of the first episode of Countdown in colour.
Whitney Houston's hit song 'Want to Dance with Somebody'
MTV: Music Television, created in 1981, was the first television channel to be dedicated to airing only music videos. In this, MTV can be seen as representation of the next stage of convergence in regards to the development of music videos and their evolution over the last two decades of the 20th Century. MTV is said to be the most significant expression of the film and video technological advancements made in the 1970’s and 1980’s (Mundy, 1999; Pg 234). In MTV’s early days, it’s programming consisted of basic music video’s that incorporated little audio and visual effects, though as technology advancements allowed, MTV saw the creation of highly convergent videos that shocked audiences as there was an element of special effects that had never been used before. An example of this is Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit, Thriller which was named a 'watershed moment for the music industry'. It is the digital media convergence used in the Thriller video that led to its immense popularity as well as its ability to be broadcasted internationally on MTV. The late 90’s saw the effects of the digital revolution force MTV to expand into other areas like television, and as they made this transition music videos got less time on the air. From 2000, there wasn’t a single place to access purely music videos until 2005, enter YouTube.
Michael Jackson's world famous video 'Thriller'.
YouTube is the single most revolutionary advancement in regards to online music videos and digital media convergence. The video sharing website was the first platform to present music videos in a free to access online form, thus is primarily responsible for the development of online music videos. Digital media convergence can be seen on YouTube in the form of various artists’ online music videos such as Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, which incorporates numerous new-age aspects of audio, visual and digital effects. YouTube has seen the most technologically advanced videos uploaded onto the site, as it is the primary point of access for music videos today. Digital media convergence can also be seen in the adoption of social networking site features such as the ability to engage in comment threads, ‘like’ and ‘dislike’ videos and share videos over various social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter. This adoption of social networking features links to the concept of confluence culture as YouTube’s aim is to engage participation from the consumers as well as encourage the blend of new and traditional media (Sheehan, Vol 4, No 3).
In contrast to previous music video platforms discussed, YouTube allows a much greater deal of freedom to the user. A user is not restricted to a time slot when using YouTube, which is a dramatic advantage since the days of Countdown, where music videos were only available at a specific time slot. YouTube acts as a portal of cultural memory as it recirculates videos classic moments from television (Hilderbrand, 2007; Page 54). For example, if one wants to view a clip from Countdown they will use YouTube to access this clip. YouTube also possess the technology to recommend songs by similar artists, or in similar genres, giving the website an ‘edge’ over previous broadcasting platforms such as MTV.
Lady Gaga's hit music video, 'Born This Way'
Thus, there is an undeniable relationship between digital media convergence and the development of music videos that has allowed music videos to thrive online. This digital media convergence can be defined and represented in the stages of music video development, from its first platform Countdown, to MTV and finally, to its online form, YouTube.
Hilderbrand, L. (2007) 'Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge', Film Quarterly, Vol 61, pp 48-57
Mundy, J. (1999) 'Popular Music on Screen: From Hollywood Musical to Music Video', Manchester University Press, Manchester.
Sheehan, Kim, AND Morrison, Deborah. "Beyond convergence: Confluence culture and the role of the advertising agency in a changing world" First Monday [Online], Volume 14 Number 3 (26 February 2009)
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