Digital Media Convergence and its affect on 'Music Video Online' By Devon Boyle

Digital Media Convergence and its affect on 'Music Video Online'

Digital media convergence can be defined as “the merging of mass communication outlets such as print, television, radio, as well as the Internet, along with portable and interactive technologies, through various digital media platforms” (Dannci, 2011). It can be seen that digital media convergence has significantly altered a number of industries in today’s society, particularly, the music industry. Within the music industry, music videos remain to be viewed as one of the most transformed mediums due to the radical changes brought about by convergence. In order to examine the extent to which media convergence has affected music videos, I will be discussing the notion of music television and its relevance in today’s society when compared to the past. I will also consider the effect of the move from industry made videos to hand made videos, whilst questioning whether Internet has killed the music video star.

It can be seen that media convergence as a whole, “has allowed mass media professionals to tell stories as well as, present information and entertainment using a variety of media outlets” (Munt, 2011). Taking this into account it can be said that, “converged communications have provided multiple tools, which allow consumers to obtain a select level of interactivity while self-directing content delivery” (Dannci, 2011). Therefore convergence, particularly within the music industry, has supported the introduction of an “on-the-go” approach to media (Burkhart 2005, p.489). Nowadays, with video-hosting websites such as YouTube as well as advanced technological devices, an audience is able choose exactly what they want to watch and when. This reality is a stark contrast to the past in which media was programmed and not readily available, nonetheless this is a direct result of convergence.

Similarly, digital media convergence can be seen as the catalyst that has determined the status of music videos today. As stated above, “convergence has seen the dispersal of music clips across social media networks, mobile media platforms and devices”(Munt 2011, p.14), however, prior to digital media convergence the majority of music videos were in fact viewed on the television. The music video phenomenon began in 1981, due to the introduction of the first 24hour music channel, MTV. At this time music videos obtained a small budget therefore were increasingly low fi, however despite this, music videos received positive responses from audiences. Due to such responses, television quickly became a lucrative platform for record labels to promote their artists therefore the production costs of music videos increased significantly (Allen, 2007). At this time, television was viewed as the only major platform available to broadcast such media content, however due to digital media convergence this notion has been considerably altered.

  

As a result of digital media convergence, as well as the introduction of the Internet, it has become obvious that everyday access to the World Wide Web is vital, as it allows the public to interact with media content at any time, in any place. Due to such dependence (Will 1991, p.180) todays reality  is that television, particularly music television, no longer satisfies the demands of most individuals. This notion can be seen as a direct consequence of the introduction of video-hosting outlets such as YouTube. YouTube can be defined, as “a socialized media platform of high media convergence” (PC Encyclopedia, 2012) in which I believe is the primary factor contributing to the demise of the “music video star.” YouTube has changed the way in which an individual can access and view music videos. Not only can an individual upload their original work they can also view the work of their favorite artists, when and wherever they like. YouTube can be accessed on demand, through desktop computers, mobile phones, laptops and gaming consoles, subsequently contributing to the demise of television, as a viable platform for large company advertisements (Jarrett 2010, p.327). This in turn, has made YouTube one of the major associations that has altered the music video industry to date (Jarrett 2010, p.327). As television was once perceived, YouTube is now the lucrative forum for record labels and artists, as it allows record labels to reach larger target audiences, as the majority of the population within the world today is dependent upon the interactive online environment. Consequently, it can be argued that YouTube and the Internet in general, subsequently “killed the music video star.”

As stated above, digital media convergence has had significant effects on the transferring of music videos from television to the Internet, however it may also be argued that digital media convergence has also contributed to the poor quality of music videos today. It is a reality in society today that the quality of music videos is no longer a priority, as all videos are exposed on the Internet. This notion is emphasised as Hilderbrand states, “amateur content is discovered along the way” (Hilderbrand 2007, p.50). Due to the introduction of video hosting websites such as YouTube, the exposure of music videos has lead to an increased amount of basic style film clips as opposed to elaborate videos that were once seen on our television. (Straw 1988, p.260). It has become a known fact that low budgeted music videos (Thompson, 2008) possess the same ability to receive as many hits and views as high budget film clips, due to increased accessibility created by digital media convergence. This notion is increasingly applicable within the interactive online environment today, as many professionals are acting like amateurs to gain increased views and hits (Jarrett 2010, p.327). In conclusion, I believe the move from industry made videos to hand made videos has both positive and negative affects. For instance, it enables the music industry as well as artists and producers, to continue to distribute music videos although they are in a state of disarray, due to the issue of downloading music for free. However it does leave one to question the credibility and integrity of music videos (Cox 2010, p.12).

Conclusively, it can be said that digital media convergence has had significant affects on the music industry to date, specifically music videos. Not only has digital media convergence contributed to the transferring of music videos from television to online, it has also impacted the credibility and integrity of music videos. In saying this however, I still believe music videos will continue to be relevant in society, as long as they remain replicable and captivating, in order to attract to the broadening online environment.

Reference List:

MAS110 - Unit Reader

o   Dwyer, T. (2010) 'Media Convergence' McGraw Hall, Berkshire, pp1-23

o   The one from the reader- Hilderbrand, L. (2007) 'Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge', Film Quarterly, Vol 61, pp 48-57.

MAS110 - Recommended Reading List

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

o   Jenkins, Henry 2008 Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide, New York: New York University Press

Academic Sources

o   Burkart, PB, 2005. Loose Integration in the Popular Music Industry. Popular Music and Society, [Online]. 28 (4), 489-500. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03007760500159013 [Accessed 23 August 2012].

o   Will, RW, 1991. True and false dependence on technology: Evaluation with an expert system. Computers in Human Behavior, [Online]. 7 (3), 171–183. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/074756329190006M [Accessed 20 August 2012] Hildebrand, L, (2007), YouTube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge, from ‘Film Quarterly’ Volume 16.

o   Jarrett, KJ, 2010. YouTube: Online video and participatory culture. Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, [Online]. 24 (2), 327. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10304310903362734

o   Beebe, Roger and Middleton, Jason 2007 ‘Introduction’, in R Beebe and J Middleton (eds) Medium Cool: Music videos from Soundies to Cell Phones, Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1-13

o   Thompson, Mark 2008 ‘Lo-fi filmmaker takes stars to street level’, CNN, at http://articles.cnn.com/2008-02-19/entertainment/takeaway.shows_1_music-videos-music-festival- rem?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ, February 19 2008 (accessed 1 November 2010)

o   Straw, WS, 2008. Music video in its contexts: popular music and post-modernism in the 1980s. Popular Music, [Online]. 7 (3), 247-266. Available at: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract;jsessionid=71419EF2C02AF4BB2DDEF6525068BCD5.journals?fromPage=online&aid=2628936 [Accessed 20 August 2012]

Websites

o   What is Media Convergence?  | The Distinct Studios Blog. 2012. What is Media Convergence?  | The Distinct Studios Blog. [ONLINE] Available at: http://blog.distinctstudios.com/?p=429. [Accessed 31 August 2012].

o   Encyclopedia - PC Magazine. 2012. Encyclopedia - PC Magazine. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia/. [Accessed 31 August 2012].