In today’s society, online music
video’s have the ability to be seen by an immense population, with some of the
most viewed reaching over half a billion. Justin Bieber ‘Baby’- viewed 700
Million times.
(Above) Justin Bieber- 'Baby' music video.
By exploring the progression of music videos,
from TV to the now extremely popular online platform, in particular youtube,
allows for a noteworthy analysis of the ways in which digital media convergence
has shaped modern patterns and usage of media. Through the merging of the music
video medium with the advancement in online streaming and sharing, a new culture
surrounding music videos has surfaced.
The original emergence of music
videos occurred during the 1970’s on TV shows such as ‘Countdown’, an
Australian broadcasted TV series which was dedicated entirely to screening
music videos. Countdown and other similar shows subsequently lead to the
popularization of artists who became widely known for not only their music but
also their adjoining videos, as well as assisting the promotion of developing
artists. Madonna is an example of an act that thrived off the music video genre,
with her videos such as ‘Holiday’ becoming iconic and immensely assisting the
launch of her career.
(Above) Image of Madonna from her music video 'Holiday'
The launch of MTV during the 1980’s saw the
music video genre become increasingly popular and into mainstream culture. It
saw the further rise of ‘audio-visual screen performers’ (Dr. Liz Giuffre) including
Michael Jackson.
(Below) Michael Jackson- 'Thriller'
Following the launch of his video
‘Thriller’, his dance moves became widely known and connected with his music,
illustrating the implications of music videos as apposed to music on its own. The
popularity of Music video TV however, soon subsided to the rise of online
digital media. Svoen, B (2007) describes the increasing prevalence of internet
and computer media and the minimizing effect this has on the amount of time
spent watching TV. This subsequently encouraged the convergence of music video
and the internet, which has in turn given rise to the ‘revolutionary’ (Hilderbrand,
2007:48) website Youtube.
The introduction of Youtube and
it’s successive growth lead to a shift in the TV music video culture connected
to channels such as MTV. Youtube as a result of the low resolution needed to
stream a video, encouraged the development of less expensive and extravagant
production of music videos.
(Above) OK Go- 'Here It Goes Again'
The effects of the decrease in
money invested in production of music video’s and the transition from TV to
online is evident when examining MTV. In current times, MTV no longer dedicates
screening to music videos, but instead majority of the channel is funded by and
committed to displaying TV shows, for example the hit TV show Jersey Shore.
(Below) Cast from Jersey Shore
This is an overt demonstration of the effect
that media convergence can have on ‘older’ media providers, which must adjust
and revolutionize to accommodate the changing audiences, in order to stay
relevant.
The convergence of media forms
and the growth of ‘new’ media has been described by Dwyer (2010:6) as
‘increasing the versatility of human action’. This in turn stresses the
objective of converging digital media to provide a more convenient and improved
way of supplying media to consumers, and in the specific case of Youtube this
is evident. The online nature of Youtube provides consumers with the
opportunity to access music videos from any medium with internet. The
development of iphones and
other smart phones which have the ability to connect to ‘3G networks and in
turn stream online content’ (Orgad, Shani 2009) has lead to an additional
convergence of media, further expanding the accessibility of online music
videos. Individuals can now access youtube videos ‘on the go’, at ‘anytime’
(Orgad, Shani 2009), this has driven the viewing culture of music videos to
become increasingly more individualized, as apposed to the previous nature of
music videos on TV which would encourage communal viewing.
(Above) Youtube on iPhone
Music Video online specifically
Youtube, has lead to a further convergence of media forms; online music video’s
and social networking. Youtube’s design encompasses the ability for users of
the site to provide their own feedback of the music videos through the form of
comments, likes and dislikes and subscriptions. As Hilderbrand (2007:54)
suggests, ‘It’s not about the video. It’s about creating a community around the
video’. This interactive nature of youtube has created a culture of
communication and opinions surrounding modern music video sharing. The
popularity of a particular video can be to an extent, measured by the number of
views cumulated and subsequently recorded alongside the video. The spreading of
music videos is also assisted through the social media aspect of youtube,
allowing the phenomenon of ‘viral’ (Hilderbrand 2007) videos to emerge. This shines light on the culture changing
nature of digital media convergence.
(Above) Facebook, Youtube and Twitter icons
It has been widely questioned to
whether the internet, and online music video has lead to the collapse of ‘music
video stars’ (Dr. Liz Giuffre), such as those who owe their career launches to the
original music video TV platforms such as Countdown and MTV. By analyzing the
success of Youtube and the pioneering culture surrounding it, one can emphasize
an alternative view, that the development of Youtube has in fact heightened the
‘music video star’. Through the online nature of
music videos, people are able to easily spread them via social media sites, for
example Twitter and Facebook. Youtube also provides music artists with the
opportunity to have their own Youtube channel, where they can upload and share
music videos in a collective manner, allowing intrigued individuals to explore
the entire collection of an artists music. In saying this, the idea that online
music video has allowed for an increased success of artists, can be
advocated.
In conclusion, it is clear that
digital media convergence, explicitly Music Video Online, has lead to an
evolution in the way society produces and consumes media. This progression of
previous media merging with modern media has allowed for subsequent cultural
changes surrounding Music Video’s as well as opening doors to forever expanding
possibilities associated with the convergence of digital media.
References
1. Dwyer, T. (2010) ‘Media
Convergence, McGraw Hill, Berkshire, pp 1-23
2. Hilderbrand, L. (2007) 'Youtube:
Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge', Film Quarterly, Vol 61, pp 48-57
3. Orgad, Shani (2009) 'Mobile TV :
Old and new in the construction of an emergent technology' Convergence, vol 15
no 2 pp 197 - 214
4. Svoen, B. (2007) ‘Consumers,
participants, and creators: young people’s diverse use of television and new
media’, ACM Compu. Entertaint. Vol.
5, No. 2, Article 5
Images
1. Image of Madonna from her music video 'Holiday', accessed on 31/08/12
2. Image of Facebook, Twitter and Youtube icons, accessed on 31/08/12
3. Image of Cast from Jersey Shore, accessed on 31/08/12
4. Image of Youtube on iPhone, accessed on 31/08.12
Videos
1. Justin Bieber, 2010, 'Baby', accessed on 31/08/12, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kffacxfA7G4
2. Michael Jackson, 1982, 'Thriller', accessed on 31/08/12, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V90AmXnguw
3. OK go, 2009, 'Here It Goes Again', accessed on 31/08/12, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA
Lectures
1. Dr. Liz Giuffre, '(Online) Music Video'
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