Digital Media Convergence: Music Video Online

Digital Media Convergence: Music Video Online

The term ‘digital media convergence’ has several meanings, however it ultimately refers to the combination of industrial, cultural, technological and social media processes.

“Digital media convergence is the process by which media forms, industries, cultures and practices of use have merged. It is the coming together and combining of various technological, industrial and cultural processes.” (Dwyer T 2010)

Convergent media was brought forth as the necessary progressive step forward for the media world as it was viewed that readers, audiences and advertisers were leaving the traditional forms of media such as television, radio and newspapers, and migrating online. This change in social behaviours required powerful media companies to re-evaluate the way in which they had previously been offering their product to the public. It sparked the creation of new technologies being formed through the use of existing media and communication industries and cultures.

Digital media is “the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences who will go almost anywhere in search of the kinds of entertainment experiences they want.” (Jenkins, 2006)

This media revolution can be best viewed through the transformation of music videos – all beginning with move from traditional analogue to digital media. The phenomenon of digital media convergence created issues for the music industry as it attempted to market a product that was becoming freely accessible to consumers online. However, that’s not to say that Internet and the convergence of digital media have killed music video.

 

In order to comprehend the effects that digital media convergence has had on the music video industry, one must look back in history to the beginning of audiovisual material and how companies produced such a thing to begin with. 

Media industries were once separated, specializing in one particular form of media, may it be just audio or just visual. Audiences needed different technologies to access each form of media. However, the two mediums of production have been inextricably joined since the introduction of the first “talkie” – The Jazz Singer in 1927.

"Media convergence has instigated social and cultural change, shifting the cultural paradigm, and the convergence of the audio and the visual has been irrevocably changed" (Phelan, 1993)

For decades, music video has been an integral element of music distribution and was used as a marketing technique to promote an artist and boost sales. Countdown was one of the first programs that addressed this void in media and initiated industrial convergence. The Australian program was brought to television during the 1970’s and demonstrated one of the first forms of music and video coming together – subsequently drawing a huge veiwership following of young Australians.

 Countdown Top 10 in 1980 - with host commenting on each

song and Molly Meldrum live with the Village People.

Countdown sparked the beginning of a new music video era, with more music video programs developing such as ABC’s Rage in 1991. Rage became renowned for providing specialist commentary to music using ‘Guest Programmers’, broadcasting unlimited video art, and it’s specialised segments such as The Rage Trap and Rage Goes Retro. Following Rage came MTV (Music Television) and subsequently the rise of the online video site Youtube, which we will get to shortly.

Before we can analyse the world of Youtube, a website that Burgess and Green describe as a simultaneously 

"high-volume website, a broadcast platform, a media archive, and a social network", 

we need to understand why it became so greatly popular and what drew audiences away from the music video programming on televisions and onto their computers. It simply has to do with the “on-demand” idea that was coming to light through the advancements of digital media convergence.

“In the last five to six years, we have witnessed the emergence of a huge amount of ‘on demand’ video services on the Internet, specific ‘Internet TV’ Channels, and ‘time-shifted’ versions of parts of programming from traditional broadcasters.” (Henton & Tadayoni, 2008)

With audiences enjoying freedom of being able to access any music video they liked, whenever they liked, television programs like MTV became redundant. While the popularity of music video television has declined, with MTV broadcasting more reality television shows than music videos, the form however hasn’t completely disappeared.

“Music video were once the most interesting things that happened in the media landscape in the 80s and 90s. However, the golden age of the music video is long gone and the Internet has caused the end of music videos as we know them. But music videos are born again, in a new form, and in a new space, Youtube” (Sibilla, 2010).

As Hilderbrand (2007) noted, television – computer convergence has been a long-expected prospect, despite the hype surrounding the speed of Youtube’s success. All types of artists today take advantage of what Youtube offers to gain exposure, promote themselves, and harness a fan base. Established artists such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Pitbull use the platform to distribute their high-quality, over-produced music videos to accompany their latest single that would be previously released worldwide and already well-known.

Beyonce's movie like video clip to her song Run The World (Girls)

demonstrating the type of big-budget, high-quality music video's

that well-established artists are debuting on Youtube.

Some may wonder why well-established artists bother putting thousands or even millions of dollars into making music videos only to put them on Youtube in a low-resolution format subjected to illegal duplication. The reality is that music video’s allow listeners to develop a connection to the music and the band members through the story-telling and visuals that support the song, ultimately attracting more fans.

Along side the established artist, Youtube is home to aspiring and independent artists with limited funds distributing their music solely online. In this sense, digital media convergence has had a positive effect on the music industry, allowing little-known artists to promote themselves and generate a fan base without the cost of producing and airing a high-quality music video internationally. West Australian based band San Cisco are an example of an independent band that have generated a small fan base and hype with their music video and audio track titled “Awkward”. The video is simple yet clever, ironically converging elements of social media with iPhone messages appearing like speech bubbles between the two lead singers.

Music video's were thought to be dead due to the impact of digital media convergence on the industry. However, in reality digital media convergence has opened up the music video industry to the public rather than limiting it to media conglomerates with the funds to develop video clips.

Books and Articles:

Burgess. J & Green. J (2009) 'Youtube: Online Video and Participatory Culture' Continuum: Journal of Media and Cultural Studies. Polity Press

Dwyer. T (2010) Media Convergence. McGraw Hill, Berkshire

Henton. A & Tadayoni. R (2008) ‘The impact of the Internet on media technology, platform and innovation’ in L. Kung, R. Picard and R. Towse (eds) The Internet and the Mass Media. London: Sage.

Hilderbrand. L (2007) ‘Youtube: Where cultural memory and copyright converge’ Film Quarterly. Vol 61

Jenkins. H (2006) 'Introduction: Worship at the Altar of Convergence' Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York University Press

Phelan. P (1993) Unmarked: The politics of performance. London: Routledge

Sibilla. G (2010) It's the End of Music Videos as we know them (but we feel fine). Transaction Publishers, pp 225-229

Websites:

The Jazz Singer (2012) Wikipedia. At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jazz_Singer [Accessed on 27 August]

Countdown Memories. At http://www.countdownmemories.com/beginning_index.html [Accessed on 27 August]

Rage (2010) ABC. At http://www.abc.net.au/rage/ [Accessed on 28 August]

MTV. At http://www.mtv.com.au/ [Accessed on 28 August]

Youtube. At http://www.youtube.com/ [Accessed on 28 August]

San Cisco, Triple J Unearthed. At http://www.triplejunearthed.com/SanCisco [Accessed on 29 August]

Pictures:

TechnoLovers (2010) Ipod Nano. At http://www.the-picturefixer.com/2010/09/enjoy-the-quality-of-ipod-nano/ [Accessed on 28 August] 

Redscroll Records (2011) Records. At https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6buJKeoaBfTeyt6f6GlbdYdy3WGQdysDBcgV6mwdo23SCxwqm0PCD6tulJAaZRfC3NPEb566oMZOkNDB4JMOQzfc1GwB7Ykiy2i55f1mqtTcCmzuGyJpP8ywVQbP1emX2HK0Oc266Ywk/s1600/records.jpg [Accessed on 28 August]

Youtube (2010) Youtube Logo. At http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/geography/_files/images/site/youtube-logo.jpg [Accessed on 29 August]

The Narrow Road (2012) MTV Logo. At http://followthenarrowroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/mtv_logo.jpg [Accessed on 29 August]

Videos:

OzTVHeritage (2011) Countdown Top 10 1980. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-2uTSQLQsg [Accessed on 28 August]

JustinBieberVEVO (2012) Justin Bieber - Boyfriend. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GuqB1BQVr4 [Accessed on 28 August]

LadyGagaVEVO (2009) Lady Gaga - Bad Romance. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrO4YZeyl0I [Accessed on 28 August]

RihannaVEVO (2011) Rihanna - We Found Love ft. Calvin Harris. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg00YEETFzg [Accessed on 28 August]

PitbullVEVO (2011) Pitbull - Give Me Everything ft. Neyo, Afrojack, Nayer. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPo5wWmKEaI [Accessed on 28 August]

BeyonceVEVO (2011) Beyonce - Run the World (Girls). At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBmMU_iwe6U [Accessed on 28 August]

SanCiscoMusic (2011) San Cisco - Awkward. At http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukNOaKeUEQY [Accessed on 29 August]

Digital Convergence: The Importance of Music Videos

Digital Convergence: The Importance of Music Videos

Digital convergence can be defined as the coming together of technologies for media consumption, production, and distribution. This has increased attraction for consumers to share and experience digital media, as well as influence new audiences worldwide. Digital convergence merges old media such as radio, TV, and music, and new media such as the internet and YouTube to bring new possibilities for both mediums.  The areas of digital convergence include media creation, media distribution, and media consumption. New developments of these three areas have led to self-producing and cheaper resources for content production, allowed content to be distributed easier and faster, and for content to provide interaction and feedback. 

Because of the increase in popularity with online media, industries have transformed and altered the way they produce their media. Dwyer explains how the internet "will increasingly function as a common technology platform for convergence developments among the different media branches" (2010, p. 6). For example, the television industry now offers shows to be watch online instead of just strictly off the TV screen. This has also affected many other industries such as radio and music. The radio industry offers online streaming of music without the advertisements such as Spotify and Pandora, and the music industry sells and distributes albums and songs with a click of a button, such as iTunes and Amazon. But one of the biggest attributes to the music industry is music videos. The combination of music and image together on a screen has brought more diversity and creativity to the industry than ever before.

Neil Diamond sings the first song in movie history. 

Music broke the silence in 1927 when the movie The Jazz Singer brought songs on the television screen (Rogin 1992, p. 418).  It changed the idea of a performance with a song and offers an attention grabbing way of telling a story. 

This new idea of combining an image with a song brought audience engagement from both sides of these mediums; fans from music come back to television, and fans from television come back to music.  This importance of music videos has brought aspiring artists to life, as well as emphasised the image of popular musicians. The question to ask is has the convergence of digital media affected the way people feel about music videos? Has the importance of this medium dwindled? 

“Offering an environment, an experience, a mood, ‘music videos have animated and set to music a tension basic to American youth culture: that feeling of instability which fuels the search to buy and belong’” (Aufderheide 2006, p. 57). The experience that music videos bring is unlike anything else. The way artists sounded was as crucial as the way they looked or performed. The first example of this importance is Michael Jackson. Everyone was well-aware of who Jackson was back to when he was a young boy in the Jackson 5. Jackson’s goal was not to have the audience know who he was; he already established that. His goal was to have people see him in a different light, and show that his image was unique. 

Jackson’s music video, Thriller, brought people in to his world and revealed how talented of an artist he is. After the release of this video, he changed the way people thought and his actions are now tied with the music. 

 Jackson's iconic moves are intertwined with the song, Thriller. 

Without the creation of music videos, Jackson may have not been able to show his true colors and illustrate that he is a changed artist from when he was young.  This was before the digital age, would have Jackson’s music video been as successful in today’s world than back then? Aufderheide states that “Music videos are key to a musical group’s success. In the year 1984, only three of the top one hundred Billboard albums did not have a promotional video” (2006, p. 73-74). 

This theory may not exist today; because of the start of online music videos, artists and bands now alter the way they make music videos to maintain an interested audience. Instead of simply turning the MTV channel on a television, consumers now have to search through online clutter to find an artist’s music video. This effect led to the difficulties in promoting music videos, and having them outshine through the clutter. 

An example of the diminishing effect that music videos have on an audience today is the artist Carly Rae Jepsen. Jepsen’s song Call Me Maybe was released on February 22. 2012 and reached the screens of computers instantly (carlyraemusic.com, 2012).  However it was not her official music video, it was the self-made music video created by Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Ashley Tisdale. 

Call Me Maybe by Bieber, Gomez, and Tisdale. 

Because of online music videos, anyone can simply create their own music video and upload it onto the World Wide Web. For Bieber, Gomez, and Tisdale, this is exactly what happened. Unlike Thriller, Jepsen’s official music video is not what her audience thinks of first; they are reminded of the self-made music video that Jepsen did not create. YouTube has diminished the importance of Jepsen's original music video and what the song is really about with the ability to create music videos. 

Digital media convergence has brought influential aspects to the music video industry. Consumers can critique, give feedback, and share how they feel about music videos online for the world to see, as well as the artist that created it. However, according to Jenkins, this convergence puts artists and music industries at risk because it requires them to rethink old assumptions of how to consume media (2004, p. 37).  As previously stated, music videos can be viewed in numerous ways such as television or online, and it is difficult for artists and producers to be able to pinpoint exactly who their consumers and what their reactions will be. 

“Wherever they appear, music videos are distinctive because they imitate dreams or manufactured fantasies rather than the event structure of bounded programs” (Aufderheide 2006, p. 65).  As much as the music industry is up-to-date on the new converging technologies and advances, music videos will never have as much of an impact on consumers. In today’s world, anyone can become a producer and music videos are often hidden in the mess of online consumption. Musicians have to discover other ways to influence their target audience because the importance of music videos has become nothing but a faint memory of the past. 

References 

Reader 

• Dwyer, T., 2010. Media Convergence. McGaw Hill. Berkshire. pp 1-23.

Case Studies 

• Aufderheide , P. , 2006. Music Videos: The Look of the Sound. Journal of Communication, 36/1, 57-78.
• Jenkins , H. , 2004. The Cultural Logic of Media Convergence . International Journal of Cultural Studies , 7/1 , 33-43.
• Rogin, M. , 1992. Blackface, White Noise: The Jewish Jazz Singer Finds His Voice. Critical Inquiry , 18/3, 417-453.

Independent Research 

• CarlosPenaTV. (2012). "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen - Feat. Justin Bieber, Selena, Ashley Tisdale & MORE!. [Online Video]. 18 February. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsBsBU3vn6M. [Accessed: 29 August 2012].
• CraoLeroux. (2011). Extrait The Jazz Singer (1927). [Online Video]. 05 March. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j48T9BoKxlI. [Accessed: 29 August 2012].
• MichaelJacksonVEVO. (2009). Michael Jackson- Thriller. [Online Video]. 02 October. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA. [Accessed: 29 August 2012].
• The Official Carly Rae Jepsen Website . 2012. Music . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.carlyraemusic.com/. [Accessed 30 August 12].

Youtube Video Killed The MTV Stars

Figure 1.0. Opening scene in MTV's first broadcast

In 1981, The Buggles were cemented into history as the very first music video to be aired on the now infamous MTV (Music Television). Prior to this, music videos were a form of promotional advertising, a package used to sell musical acts to television shows but it was the ingenuity of MTV to turn this idea into an industry of its own. A cultural epidemic had been created that saw big name bands and artists, such as Madonna and Boy George, develop through the use of provocative visual imagery . Network producers had ushered in a new era in media convergence for the music industry by effectively creating the first "visual radio" through the television. Music videos were now the most effective way to promote live shows and upcoming album releases and a fight for airtime would soon peruse. Large record companies quickly redirected their resources to the production of large scale music videos to ensure the band or artist retained a healthy image and reputation. 

Fast forward to 2012 and MTV is still globally one of the most recognisable channels but no longer known for its music video programming. Nothing epitomises the change in MTV, and therefor the bulk of the music video industry,  more then simply Google searching "remember MTV" which returns Facebook pages, articles and blogs all similarly titled "Remember When MTV Play Music Videos". Even pop songs which were once the centre of MTV's programming include the lyrics "…and music still on MTV" ("Bowling For Soup - 1985"). Long gone are the days where networks paid $250,000+ to air a documentary on the making of the music video Thriller and production companies spent even more making them. TV's have been replaced with computers, laptops and mobile phones, networks have been replaced with wireless networking and MTV has been replaced with Youtube. MTV has radically changed because the medium of music video has shifted from television to online. Should we be thankful for media convergence in music videos or has this change brought about more challenges for the music industry?

Figure 2. Youtube Logo

It goes without saying that technology is and always will be one of the key contributing factors to media convergence and in the case of music videos it is no exception. In 2005 a website domain name was registered and "YouTUBE" was born. With internet speeds getting faster and cheaper, it wasn't long before a video could be streamed online instantaneously without having to wait for the movie to buffer. Consumers now had a constantly growing library of videos, accessible with a single click of the mouse and all for free. No log ins required, anyone can upload and not a single cent has to be spared. Youtube revolutionised the way videos are now shared and the music industry would never be the same again. 

It wasn't long before lovers of music videos soon switched to the online phenomenon where they could watch the videos they wanted, when they wanted and as often as they wanted. As MTV started to air more non music programming, Youtube became more like a Television. The introduction of "Channels" saw consumers allowed to subscribe to users videos like a broadcaster as well as the introduction of recommended videos, a scroll bar on the right with a list of similar videos giving users a "channel flicking" feel. Musicians now had a place to set up pages dedicated to their music where fans could subscribe, and Youtubes recommended videos ensured that other music videos of theirs were always a single click away.

To make things even more accessible for consumers, technology allows these videos to be embedded amongst other webpages. Consumers do not even have to visit Youtube to see a video, they just have to be connected online and any webpage or social networking site they surf could have an embedded video from Youtube. Artists have gained unprecedented access to consumers world wide through online websites and social networking and free video sharing services such as Youtube have been the main catalyst for this. Now add up the multiple platforms which can view online content and there is the potential for videos to be viewed by billions. To exemplify the viewing power of Youtube, in the top 10 most watched videos as of August 2nd, 2012, only 1 video is not a music video with the number 1 video, Justin Bieber - Baby, receiving over 764,000,000 views . To put this into perspective, more people than twice the population of the United States has seen Justin Bieber's music video, a statement that shows exactly the power that online content has over television viewing. Below is an example of how easily videos can be embedded and how viral this simple dance video can get with nearly half a billion views.

In order to get the views and to spread the product of musicians, uploading online content is a must but it comes at a price. Through the rapidly expanding online market of video sharing, has come the loss of control over viewable content. WIth anyone being able to upload a video for free, production companies have lost their ability to control what is deemed 'free viewable content' and despite their best efforts to take down unauthorised videos, in a matter of minutes another user can have it uploaded again. To make matters worse, sales are decreasing through the ability to download the audio to .mp3 via youtube. While Youtube doesn't allow this, there are many sites such as these which allow the audio to be ripped illegally from the video and played on mp3 players. 

It is no surprise that music videos are being produced cheaper in the aim to create a viral video as opposed to a 'blockbuster' style clip. You need only look at a list of the all time most expensive music videos produced to see that the top 10 were all made well before the birth of Youtube, a sign that the industry is not the economic powerhouse it once was, a sign that online content has stripped the power from big production companies and given it back to everyday people. A successful music video is now the product of a creative mind and a hand held camera, money is no longer a factor to obtain millions of viewers as seen in the White Stripes low budget music video Hardest Button to Button

Media convergence has seen MTV turn from a hit 24 hour music video channel to a pop culture channel which shows minimal music videos. Through fast and easily accessible content provided by online sharing sites such as Youtube, audiences have grown while production costs have dropped but all at a cost. Sales revenue in the music industry is at an all time low as online content has also paved the way for digital piracy all the while Youtubes revenue is soaring every year, leeching off the media's need to be seen and the viewers need to access with speed. The only hope for the industry is further advances in copyright detection software otherwise Youtube Videos will slowly but reassuringly kill off music television.


REFERENCES

• Jack Banks (1997). Video in the machine: the incorporation of music video into the recording industry. Popular Music, 16 , pp 293-309 
• Dwyer, T. (2010). Media Convergence. Berkshire: McGraw Hill. pp. 1-23.
• Hilderbrand, L (2007). YOUTUBE: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge, Film Quarterly Vol 61 pp 48-57
• Goldman D, (2010), 'Musics Lost Decade: Sales Cut In Half', CNN - Money, http://money.cnn.com/2010/02/02/news/companies/napster_music_industry/
• Herzog, R (2010) 'The Role of Music Within MTV', http://collentine.com/mtv-the-role-of-music-within-the-tv-channel
• 'FAQ's' - Youtube Website, http://www.youtube.com/t/faq
• Macmanus, R (2012), "Top 10 Youtube Videos of All Time", http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_youtube_videos_of_all_time.php
• Orgad, Shani (2009) 'Mobile TV : Old and new in the construction of an emergent technology' Convergence, vol 15 no 2 pp 197 - 214http://con.sagepub.com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/content/15/2/197.full.pdf+html
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Digital Media Convergence: Revolutionising and Proliferating Advertising in a New Media Landscape

 Verneet Kaur

The burgeoning of new media and subsequent phenomenon of digital media convergence, which Jenkins describes as “the flow of content across multiple media platforms,” (Jenkins: 2006, p 2) has overhauled the modern-day mediascape and exacted an incontrovertible impact on advertising. Contemporary audiences are no longer dependent on the newspaper as their primary informant or glued to their television screens – both practices have been somewhat supplanted by participatory and convergent vehicles of new media, such as the smartphone and the internet. Accordingly, advertisers have had to adapt to this radical shift in consumer behaviour, as thirty seconds on the television or a square in the newspaper simply won’t suffice anymore. In asserting  the notion that digital media convergence has revolutionised and proliferated advertising, this essay will examine the predominant way in which advertisers have endeavoured to engage a generation of consumers who are increasingly “distracted, distrustful and disinterested” (Spurgeon: 2008 p 27) in a new media context, and the significance of online viral campaigns in advertising.

source

Digital media convergence has revolutionised and proliferated advertising in that advertisers now actively seek to engage a contemporary audience by capitalising on “device mania” (Dwyer: 2010 p 8), as it continues to percolate into mainstream culture. A key example is the smartphone, a central new media technology which has been described as being the “next great conduit between consumers and advertisers” (‘The Sell, Sell, Sell Phone’, 2007), and according to Sinclair and Wilken, a “portal” that connects consumers (Sinclair and Wilken: 2009). The smartphone accommodates for the flow of a myriad of new media practices, such as social networking, file sharing and internet access; all of which attest to its prominence as a digital convergent medium and justify advertisers' gravitation towards these devices.

source

The iAd on the Apple iPhone is a platform that allows for third-party companies to embed their advertisements directly into any given application available on the iOS App Store, as opposed to directing the consumer to a separate page in the browser. The advertisements can be interactive and the option to click out of them and resume activity from the point at which the app was left is provided. Furthermore, the potential for these advertisements to reach an extensive number of consumers is immense – the official website even states that iAd will enable you to “reach the most engaged audience available.” These innovative and user-friendly features of this modern advertising network, along with its integration into the app itself are a far cry from the traditional advertisements that were disseminated across old media. If not for the digital media convergence that the smartphone exemplifies through the coming together of internet access and game play, this development in advertising would not exist. It is in this sense that advertisers have endeavoured to engage a generation of consumers; through their capitalisation on popular new media devices, whose convergence properties play an integral role in revolutionising and proliferating advertising.

source

The viral phenomenon is a major case in point demonstrating the impact that digital media convergence asserts upon advertising in its revolutionising and proliferation. It can be defined as the communication of unpaid peer-to-peer content from an identified sponsor using the internet to encourage its circulation (Porter and Golan: 2006). Arguably, the most distinguishing feature of the viral phenomenon is that it relies solely on the audience to propagate its content – which Jenkins calls a “spreadable model,” emphasising consumer activity (Jenkins: 2009). YouTube, a popular video-sharing website is an essential model of digital media convergence. It observes the coming together of audio-visual media and user interaction, especially through the “share” option, and endorses the idea of the prosumer; an individual who both consumes and produces content. This convergent medium affords a revolutionary and indubitably proliferating advertising opportunity – the viral video.

The Cadbury Eyebrows campaign was launched by Cadbury in 2009, to promote their Dairy Milk Chocolate. It presents a boy and a girl furiously moving their eyebrows to the beat of a song and has reached over nine million hits on YouTube, been featured on numerous news and media outlets and has been the subject of multiple parodies. Porter and Golan claim that the content of a viral video is paramount; it must forge an emotional connection with the consumer as that is what propels them to circulate it (Porter and Golan: 2006). This viral video engages the audience with its humorous depiction of an undeniably impressive feat (if one disregards the editing), bridging the emotional connection – it makes us laugh and think to ourselves, “whoa, look at that.” This extremely successful campaign would not have come to pass had it not been for the vessel that carried it through the depths of cyberspace – the convergent media model that is YouTube. If it was not for uploading this audio-visual content onto a website that enables “sharing” through Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus, provides a space for users to publish their comments, an HTML code for embedding, a link for emailing, Google Plus Hangout so it can be watched with friends and the option to subscribe to the channel, the Cadbury Eyebrows campaign would not have been the advertising sensation that it was. Therefore, it is clear that digital media convergence plays a significant role in revolutionising and proliferating advertising, as in the case of viral video campaigns, it is the vehicle on which they travel. 

Thus, through the examination of the iAd on the iPhone and the viral video phenomenon on YouTube, it can be seen that digital media convergence asserts an incontrovertible impact on advertising in a new media landscape. It unlocks opportunities for innovation and potential for reaching a far wider audience than that which was possible in an old media context. It is through this that it has revolutionised the ways in which advertising is carried out and simultaneously impelled its proliferation, in a contemporary context.

References

 Reader

• J enkins, H. (2006) Convergence Culture, New York, New York University Press, pp 1-24.
• Spurgeon, C. (2008) Advertising and New Media, Oxon, Routledge, pp 24-45
• Dwyer, T. (2010) Media Convergence, McGraw Hill, Berksire, pp 1-23

 Recommended

• Sinclair, John and Wilken, Rowan (2009) 'Waiting for the kiss of life : mobile media and advertising' Convergence: the journal of research into new media, vol 15 no 5 pp 427 - 445 http://con.sagepub.com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/content/15/4/427.full.pdf+html [accessed 28th August 2012]

Independent

• ‘The Sell, Sell, Sell Phone’ (2007) B&T 25 February, URL: http://www.bandt.com.au/articles/35/0C049B35.asp?print=true [accessed 30th August 2012]
• Porter, Lance and Golan, Guy. (2006). “From Subservient Chickens to Brawny Men: A Comparison of Viral Advertising to Television Advertising.” Journal of Interactive Advertising, 6(2). Onlinehttp://jiad.org/vol6/no2/porter/index.htm [accessed 29th August 2012]
• Jenkins, Henry. “If It Doesn’t Spread, It’s Dead (Part One): Media Viruses and Memes.” Confessions of an Aca-fan: The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins, February 11, 2009. http://henryjenkins.org/2009/02/if_it_doesnt_spread_its_dead_p.html. [accessed 29th August 2012]

Case Studies

•  iAd Network. 2011. Apple Inc. http://advertising.apple.com/ [accessed 28th August 2012]
• Cadbury Eyebrows, 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=TVblWq3tDwY&feature=player_embedded. [accessed 28th August 2012]
• http://www.youtube.com/t/press_room_image_files
• http://flre.ca/2012/08/new-apple-retail-store-opening-this-weekend/
• http://etechmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/iAd.jpg

Digital Media Convergence & Online Music Video

  Digital Media Convergence 

&
Online Music Video 

Stephanie Colacino

The use of the music video and how the consumer accesses them has changed dramatically over time. Once people flocked to their television screens to see the latest video single broadcasted out to a nation. However, times have changed and the current trend is to sit down at a computer and watch the videos on YouTube.  YouTube is one of the most popular websites on the Internet and is a fascinating phenomenon. One of the most notable effects of the website has been how the musicians, the music industry and Internet culture has converged into a new media consuming and prosuming culture. Media convergence refers to the processes where new technologies are merged with existing media industries and cultures (Dwyer, 2010), or more simply the coming together of things that had previously been separate (Meikle & Young, 2012). When music videos became popular online it involved a convergence of musical and participatory culture, technology and the music industry.

Traditionally when music videos were viewed on television shows like the ABC’s Countdown or the long lasting Rage there was no interaction between the broadcaster, producer and audience. Yet with the introduction of Web 2.0 this has changed. The music video has moved online. Now due to YouTube or other video database websites music videos are consumed on the Internet. Either through Vevo, record label channels or just their own personal channels on YouTube, musicians are able to post and share their music videos online to their fan bases. Their fans are then able to respond to it in the comments section or through videos. This is a form of Internet participatory culture. Audiences are now able to interact as opposed to merely being passive consumers. Convergence happens inside the brains of individual consumers and then through their social interactions with others (Jenkins, 2006). Once when media consumers were passive they had little to no contact with media producers and creators. However this has changed, seen throughout YouTube the prosumers or producer consumer has become a lasting trend. A YouTube prosumer is a user who has created, produced and uploaded original content. This is also known as user generated content.

A common trend on YouTube by prosumers is to post up videos of themselves covering famous songs or alternately a tutorial on how to play them. This subsection of the website is growing with many cover versions going viral being shared through Facebook, Twitter and other social media. For example the cover version of Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Walk Off The Earth, in which the five-person band plays one guitar together has amassed over 133 700 000 views as of August 2012 after having being posted onto YouTube in January 2012. In fact “SomebodyThat I Used To Know” is one of the most covered songs on YouTube. On August 12^th 2012 Gotye responded to this by posting a remixed version of the song called “Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra” on his channel. Having download various cover versions of his song Gotye combined them together by taking samples out of each and created a new version of “Somebody That I Used To Know” dedicated to and featuring his fans and their musical accomplishments. In the video description Gotye says thank you to everybody who responded to “Somebody That I Used To Know” via YouTube. This is an example of the interaction between musician and fan base, which before music videos converged with the Internet hadn’t been possible.

“Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra” and the multitude of “Somebody That I Used To Know” covers raises the question of what exactly a music video is in the current digital media convergence era? Is it only content produced by music record labels featuring the musicians performing their music? Or does it include videos of cover versions and parodies, lyric videos, prosumers posting videos of original music content, lip-synching videos or even cats dancing to Lady Gaga? If a music video is simply defined as music being played as a soundtrack, companion or feature to a visual, then yes maybe they can be. Previously an audience knew what a music video was, being able to define it simply as a song accompanied by a memorable visual, paid for by a record label and then played on television to promote the song itself or the musicians who wrote it (Vernallis, 2010) Yet now because of the convergence between the music industry and the participatory culture of YouTube the definition of the music video has had to have been broadened. What was once a simple definition has become something incredibly hard to define. For example, Vernallis argues that the short clip entitled “haha baby” of a baby laughing at his father making noises off screen, is a music video. That it can be experienced as a music video, with the laughter the father and child being made becoming a singable melody (Vernallis, 2010). In fact, the clip has been remixed into a more recognisable musical form by taking the laughter and turning it into a form of melody layered with other sounds. 

This change and widening in definition is one of the more notable impacts convergence has had on the music video and it’s industry. The participatory nature of YouTube and its user generated content means that the medium has not died out but instead has been brought new life online. And while it does live on in its traditional form through television shows like Rage it has evolved with the technological and social trends. It now encompasses a variety of video types, including cover versions, parodies or remixes. The prosumers have used the phenomenon of digital media convergence to create a more diverse and interactive music video industry.

Reference List 

Readings:

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

- Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence Culture, New York, New York University Press, pp 1-24. 

Recommended Readings:

- Meikle, G, and Young, S (2012) Media Convergence: Networked Digital Media in Everyday Life, Palgrave Macmillan, p. 2

Additional Readings:

- Vernallis, C. (2010). Music Video and YouTube: New Aesthetics and Generic Transformations. In: Keazor, H. and Wübbena, T. Rewind, Play, Fast Forward: The Past, Present and Future of the Music Video. Bielefeld : Transcript Verlag. 235 - 261.

Digital Media:

- Adamo0 . (2006). I want it that way lip sync. [Online Video]. 06 July. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xt_m7qooZfo. [Accessed: 31 August 2012].

- forrestfire101 . (2009). The Duck Song. [Online Video]. 23 March. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtN1YnoL46Q. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].

- greenday. (2012). Green Day: "Oh Love" - [Official Lyric video]. [Online Video]. 16 July. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_05XAPR8q8. [Accessed: 31 August 2012].

- gootmusic. (2012). "Call Me Maybe" - Carly Rae Jepsen (Alex Goot, Dave Days, Chad . [Online Video]. 15 April. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2mscqMjLFs. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].

- gotyemusic. (2011). Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra) - official video . [Online Video]. 05 July. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].

- gotyemusic. (2012). Gotye - Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra. [Online Video]. 15 August. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opg4VGvyi3M&feature=watch_response. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].

- McGoiter . (2011). Rebecca Black "Friday" (Brock's Dub). [Online Video]. 21 March. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzfQwXEqYaI. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].

- pioneer0106 . (2006). haha baby. [Online Video]. 06 November. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzQUtElQXX0. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].

- rihe0001 . (2009). MY CAT LOVES LADY GAGA. [Online Video]. 08 August. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8y06F985g8. [Accessed: 31 August 2012].

- walkofftheearth. (2012). Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk off the Earth (Gotye - Cover). [Online Video]. 05 January. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9NF2edxy-M. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].

- xXxStianxXx . (2008). Laughing Haha Baby Remix. [Online Video]. 06 November. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OhsC_3YNyQ. [Accessed: 30 August 2012].