Digital Media Convergence

         M  u  s  i  c   V  i  d  e  o   O  n  l  i  n  e         

Amelia Dwyer

Digital media Convergence refers to the emergence of technologies that have various functions, or those purposes that can be utilized by different platforms. The forever growing technologies incorporate digital Medias such as, the access to newspapers online, the ability to video call and communicate over the internet, and the admittance of internet via TV sets. (Dwyer, 2010) The digital media world has seen an extreme change especially through music video becoming a prominent feature for online consumers. Music Video, Anfderheide (2006) believes that it is not only a fad but a way, a way for artists to affiliate themselves with a new technique of advertising and conveying political endorsement. It has become a successful way for opinions and persuasions to be equipped to the public. (Aufderheide, 2006)

The productivity and overall gain of media convergence and new media has been studied and examined in many ways by professionals. One of the ways, Wessels (2011) states, is“interactive opportunities for fan activity, participation, and involvement.” (Wessels, 2011) This is a major importance in the use and study of digital media convergence. Consumer participation and involvement forms the basis of the circulation and success of digital media. (Jenkins, 2006)

“Rather than falling into obsolescence, so-called ‘old media’ have embraced new media forms…to extend the scope and reach of their products.” (Wessels, 2011)

Rage Logo - ABC music video TV show
(ABC, 2010)

Australian music industries and consumers have seen many different music video platforms. One main platform has been Rage, the television program that broadcasts uninterrupted music videos (that is, without a presenter). Rage is an ABC program, therefore it does not have to screen commercially viable music videos but local, ‘low-fi’ music videos instead, similar to Triple J’s new radio program, ‘unearthed’. This is where people have the ability to upload there music onto the website and it will be played in the program. This creates a number of opportunities for upcoming artists. Rage had a similar philosophy and there were many artists that made their way to the top that started with a simple music video played on Rage. Rage has developed and is not only a television program, but now can be viewed through many different digital mediums. Digital media convergence is seen here in that this television program now can be accessed, online, through applications for mobile phones, and can be shared, liked and commented on, on numerous social media sites. (ABC, 2010) As Rage develops to keep up with the forever growing media forms, new, online music video sites have been established.

YouTube Logo - Music Video Online Website
(YouTube, 2005)

YouTube is an online site that allows billions of people every day to access, watch, upload, share and participate in videos. YouTube can be accessed globally, and from numerous different digital media platforms. (YouTube, 2005) The launch of YouTube online in late 2005 led to a rapid incline in online consumers accessing Television programs and most of all music videos. It gave a simple, easy and effective chance for amateurs, and professionals to upload and promote advertisements, television programs, music videos and more. (Hilderbrand, 2007) YouTube became an internet sensation and Hilderbrand (2007) describes that it was not the first view or thoughts surrounding the merge of internet and video. Microsoft purchased web TV and DVD’s, DVR’s (Digital Video Recorders), such as CNet and TiVo began to become prominent in the 90’s although it wasn’t until the establishment of YouTube in 2005 that the music video online became an extraordinarily popular tool. (Hilderbrand, 2007) In 2007, just two years after the establishment of YouTube, videos on the site took up 10% of all internet traffic. (Cheng, et al., 2007) This is a remarkable statistic as it shows the popularity, the usefulness easy ability to access it on many different devices including, game consoles such as X-Box Live, mobile phone, Television sets, and computers.

The ‘official’ music video that has been uploaded to YouTube for the Gotye song ‘Somebody that I used to know’ was uploaded in July 2011. This video went viral extremely fast and currently, just over a year after it’s upload, it has received over three hundred million views. (Somebody That I Used to Know, 2011)

These videos and billions of other music videos on YouTube have a countless amount of features that television music videos could not provide. With reference to Wessels belief in fan involvement, YouTube, and other music video online sites such as Vivo, allow an active fan involvement. (Wessels, 2011) These sites allow the ability to like or dislike the video. This allows other consumers and the artists to gage their fan base and the videos can also be commented on. There is also a concept, ‘share’, where viewers can repost or link the videos of their choice onto social networking sites for others to also view. YouTube allows amateurs to reinvent, remake or make original music videos and post them online for other viewers. There are many parodies and remakes online.

YouTube Interaction Bar- Gotye 'Somebody That I Used to Know'(YouTube, 2011)

Numerous parodies and covers of Gotye’s ‘Somebody that I used to know”, song and video clip have later been uploaded to YouTube by many artists. One video upload in particular is “Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra” and has accumulated more than two million nine hundred views since it’s upload less than a month ago, mid August 2012. (Sombodies: A YouTube Orchestra, 2012)

“I avoided using an existing remixes of the song, or any covers from TV talent shows.” 
(Sombodies: A YouTube Orchestra, 2012)

This shows that the videos included have been selected from the covers and parodies only that have been uploaded to YouTube.

Digital media convergence allows people to access their favourite TV shows at work or on the go, to share and watch videos from computers or phones, to read news articles online. (Jenkins, 2006) Music video, that was once a television sensation has now become an online sensation, with a huge number of consumers accessing music videos online. Online media give an opportunity for fans and viewers to interact, participate and have a chance at owning and uploading a ‘viral’ video. (Cheng, et al., 2007) Gotye, a famous artist had his film clip gain over three hundred million views in just one year for his film clip “Somebody that I used to know”, along with numerous parodies, remakes and remixes of his song which has drawn attention to his own video.

Unit References:

Dwyer, T., 2010. Media Convergence. s.l.:McGraw Hill.

Jenkins, H., 2006. Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. s.l.:New York, New York University Press.

Recommended References:

Hilderbrand, L., 2007. Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge. University of California Press, 61(1), pp. 48-58.

Additional References:

ABC, 2010. Rage. [Online] 

Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/rage/

[Accessed 29 August 2012].

2005. YouTube: About. [Online] 

Available at: http://www.youtube.com/t/about_youtube

[Accessed 28 August 2012].

Aufderheide, P., 2006. Music Videos:The Look of the Sound. Journal of Communication, 36(1), pp. 57-58.

Cheng, X., Dale, C. & Liu, J., 2007. Understanding the Characteristics of Internet Short Video Sharing: YouTube as a Case Study. Networking and Internet Architecture, Volume 1, pp. 1-9.

Wessels, E., 2011. ‘Where were you when the monster hit?’ Media convergence, branded security citizenship, and the trans-media phenomenon of Cloverfield. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 17(1), pp. 69-83.

Youtube (2012) Somebody That I Used to Know, Gotye [online] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UVNT4wvIGY [accessed 30 August 2012]

Youtube (2012) Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra, Gotye [online] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opg4VGvyi3M [accessed 30 August 2012]