Discuss the
phenomenon of digital media convergence in relation to Music Video Online
Has music video online totally overtaken music video on
television? Is this the cause of changing consumer demands and advances in
technology? And is music video television still even a thing, or is it just a
mere memory of how music video was distributed in the old days?
Digital media convergence refers to processes where new
technologies are adjusted and accommodated by existing media industries and
sources. Convergence is described as being ‘all around us- mobile phones with
video, radio and the Internet, radio over TV platforms and the Internet and TV
over mobile platforms including digital radio, and the Internet- all
facilitated by the move of digital technologies.’ Digital media convergence is
considered a privilege to consumers. They have access to online music videos
through the internet which can also conveniently be viewed through mobile
phones.
Online music video is a recent phenomenon of the 21st
century. For a long time music videos were only viewable through television.
But recently, digital media convergence has allowed for music videos to be
available on the internet, as well as through mobile phones. This has proven to
be a popular method of accessing music, and thus has influenced consumers to
turn to online music video, which has affected the television industry.
The current decline of music video on television has caused
us to question ‘Is music video television still a thing?’ If current consumer
trends continue, the music video television industry will fail quickly. The
effect of the decline in music video television is resulting in thousands of
job losses and forcing advances in technology to accommodate for online music
video. The need for new advances in technology is also costing the industry
millions of dollars in research and materials.
Youtube is the number one internet website for online music
video, as well as home videos, remixes, trailers, commercials and television
and movie excerpts. The site was labelled as ‘revolutionary’ and a ‘phenomenon’
once it gained recognition through word of mouth; in the Internet era meaning
through forwarded email links, Myspace profiles and blogs. The development of
high speed internet connections and expanding computer memory capacity assisted
with the achievement of the television-internet convergence. Athough Youtube is
still number one, there are many other extremely popular sites featuring music
videos online, some offering elements that Youtube doesn’t.
One of the main reasons for Youtube’s success is the
user-friendly features it provides. Consumers can view clips without the
annoyance of logging in, and videos begin streaming as soon as the web page
loads, which eliminates the worry of software compatibility and downloading files.
Related video clips also appear in the side bar, which potentially allows users
to save time by searching for the clip. This form of hyper linking efficiently replaces
‘channel surfing’. Another advantage the internet has over television is that
videos can be accessed without the hassle of watching live broadcasts,
recording programs or waiting through long commercial breaks.
The first sign that Youtube ‘phenomenon’ was taking over
television was when a small video clip of the original broadcast of Stephen
Colbert’s speech at the Whitehouse Correspondent’s Dinner was posted on the site,
and received 2.7 million views in the first 48 hours. These statistics convey
that the speech was a lot more popular on Youtube than the original
transmission. This event was reluctantly acknowledged as humiliating for the television
industry. On the plus side, the video led to the exposure of political gaffes,
corporate exploitations and police violence. Being publicized on Youtube, these
issues were popularised without even being broadcasted on television.
The Internet, especially Youtube have accelerated expectations
for availability, meaning that consumers expect to find pretty much anything
they want on Youtube, and it will be available forever. This is not the case;
Youtube now reminds consumers that video clips may only be temporary, possibly
due to removal or de-activation for copyright violation. The de-activation of
certain video clips has caused a mild loss of users to cut down on using the
site. To prevent the number of users from getting too low, Youtube is
constantly aiming to improve the site through innovative designs and features,
and up-to-date technology.
Youtube’s online music video’s have a ‘cultural’ or ‘personal’
memory element to them that people relate to with different events in their
lives. Be able to go onto the site and view just about any video clip at any
time, even on a mobile phone, is extremely convenient and caters to a large
market’s needs. For example, the music video ‘Here we go again’ is a satirical
clip featuring a gym setting and has an early 90’s sense with the clothing
used. This can connect people to cultural/personal memories and aspects of
their lives, hence regarding music videos as a leisure or ‘feel-good’ escape
from their daily lives.
Since Youtube’s success, it has become the go to website for
searching and viewing music video clips. Youtube was the first of it’s kind and
despite the hype that it gained popularity quickly, the television-internet
convergence has been expected and researched for a long time prior to the site’s
creation in 2005. All the way back in the mid 1990’s, technology companies and
internet service providers were contemplating the future media converger for
television, and researching how successful the convergence would be. Now that
music video online is taking over television music video, technology companies
are researching on how to get viewers back into broadcasted music videos,
although they are struggling as sites like Youtube are obviously much more
convenient and popular.
Although digital
media convergence is regarded as highly successful, there are a few
consequences to the media industry. Creating new technology to ensure online
music video are high definition and technologically up-to-date can be extremely
costly. Also the competition between music video online and music video
television has resulted in both industries spending more and more money to try
and better themselves to gain a competitive advantage.
In conclusion, the digital media convergence of music video
online is a huge phenomenon which is globally recognized as a highly successful
convergence.
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