Digital Media Convergence: Online Music Video
Campbell Vincent
The term “digital media
convergence” refers to the progress of digital media in its production,
distribution, combining, and the ways in which different forms of media combine
to create a final product (Dwyer, 2010). Previously, media formats were often
separated, a barrier forming between the various kinds of mediums used in
media, but as media progresses, so do the methods used to produce it. One
example of the convergence of digital media present in contemporary society is
the continually growing empire of the music video. While the music industry
continually suffers with the prominence of piracy and illegal distribution of
artist’s music, the necessity for different and new forms of stimulating the
music economy has grown rapidly. The music video is arguably the most prominent
changing format in the music industry, and is a prime example of digital media
convergence.
While music is still
readily available in the form of CD and online purchasing, such as iTunes and
Amazon music stores, the growing epidemic of illegal music sharing over the
internet has definitely taken its toll on the music industry. On top of this,
the use of music video broadcasting on television channels such as MTV and V
has become decreasingly common, with the decline of actual music content and
increase of other programs, the need for music videos to be broadcasted has
converged with internet technology in order to reach an increased and more
targeted audience. In 2005, the launch of YouTube dramatically changed the ways
in which audiences could access video technology (Burgess & Green, 2009).
On YouTube, record labels were able to create their own channels, and upload
music videos of the artists they deal with, allowing a quick, easy, and free
distribution of music videos to a vast audience. On top of this, artists which
were previously unrecognised could upload their own music videos at no expense,
in the hope of obtaining an online recognition of their music (Hilderbrand,
2009). This proved to be a very effective technique for sharing and promoting
music, which is exemplified by the vast amounts of views and “favourites” of
music videos on the website (Burgess, 2008).
One notable example of
this is the band OK Go, who achieved critical acclaim for their music video for
their song “Here It Goes Again”. The video featuring the band performing a
clever dance routine on a series of treadmills was uploaded in July 2006 and received
enormous recognition, reaching over 5 million views on their YouTube channel.
It was then taken down from their private channel and re-released in February
2009 on the channel of EMI Music, and has received over 14 million more views
since then. The music video also won a Grammy award for Best Short Film Music
Video in 2007 and the YouTube Most Creative Video award in 2006. The music
video lead to a widespread recognition of the band, and afforded them a
significant boost in their musical career, leading to many opportunities such
as appearing on the soundtrack of popular television show Scrubs and video game Rock
Band. OK Go also continued to obtain fame through other music videos such
as “This Too Shall Pass” and “A Million Ways”, and as artists exemplify the use
of YouTube and digital media convergence in music video to achieve success
(Hilderbrand, 2009).
As well as the use of
music video to gain acclaim for artists, the growing prevalence of music video
has given rise to a new form of the music video. While traditional music videos
incorporate the song of the artist accompanied by a short film, the rise of
“lyric videos” has also become quite evident in recent contemporary society.
Rather than incorporate a short film to accompany the song, a lyric video
features the song with accurately timed typography, usually with colourful
backgrounds or attention grabbing “buzz words” that correspond with the lyrics
of the song as an animated piece. The use of the lyric video became popular
with the release of a video for popular song “F*** You” by Cee Lo Green,
released in August 2010, and due to the song’s already present success drew
much attention to the use of lyric videos, setting a precedent for other
artists looking for an alternative to having to shoot a short film. This is
exemplified in the My Chemical Romance video for “Na Na Na”, which was released
as a promotion for their upcoming album. It was uploaded to YouTube on the same
day as “Na Na Na” was released in North America, as the first single for Danger Days: True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.
The use of these lyric videos allows the artist to release a music video
and promote themselves without having to encounter the expenses of shooting a
short film for a music video, and also nullifies the expenses of broadcasting,
as they can simply upload a video to YouTube for free. This is a significant
example of how the music video incorporates various kinds of formats, and
exemplifies the concept of digital media convergence.
While digital media convergence has had an extremely negative impact on the music industry with the introduction of music piracy and file sharing, it has also been a significantly beneficial factor in other aspects, notably the music video. With the movement of music video to the internet rather than remaining on television, music videos have become much more widely distributed to their audiences, and with the use of YouTube, have been set into a participatory culture where users can connect easily and efficiently with artists and their work. The convergence of the media formats used in the music video empire have proven to be a very effective tool for promoting and distribution artist’s work, and for furthering the music industry in an exponentially volatile time.
References:
Text:
Burgess, J, and Green, J. (2009) Youtube: Online Video and Participatory Culture. Polity Press.
Hilderbrand, L. (2007) 'Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright
Converge', Film Quarterly, Vol 61, pp 48-57
Burgess, Jean (2008) 'All Your Chocolate Rain Are Belong to Us?' Viral Video, YouTube and the Dynamics of Participatory Culture. Institute of Network Cultures pp. 101-109
Web:
Music Mix, 2011, Lyric Videos: Is this a trend now? Britney Spears' 'Criminal' joins the YouTube fray http://music-mix.ew.com
Video:
Here It Goes Again, 2009, online video, Ok Go & EMI Music http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTAAsCNK7RA
Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na), 2010, online video, My Chemical Romance & WMG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm8xIo_2Aok
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