VEVO and Online Music Videos- Sean Moran

VEVO and Online Music Videos

  

 The rapidly increasing global phenomenon of digital media convergence has allowed an incredibly swift progression of communication through many diverse and dynamic media platforms in a very short time. As a result of this powerful technological progression, the media has been enabled to produce and distribute information, entertainment and communication over an international domain.  This is applicable to the immensely successful and profitable nature of the online music video industry, which has utilised the innovations of digital media convergence in such a way, that it has begun to annex previous music video distributions.  This exploratory analysis will investigate the modern convergence of VEVO, the online unification of dominant industrial music labels that produce and present music videos both for television yet also exclusive online accessibility.

  The impact of online music video distribution has been immense. Within a decade, online streaming of music video content has become the most popular choice of delivery, thus developing the potential to overthrow television itself as the primary point of access. This has enabled a resulting expansion of content exposure, as the delivering sources, predominately being online video sharing giants ‘YouTube’ and ‘VEVO’, which have regulatory consistency in distributing their material. With this impending era of technological determinism, it appears as natural that online music video has surfaced as one of the most popular forms of music consumption. It bears the benefits of convenience. The viewer can determine what and who they want to watch and at any time they desire. These liberties do not exist with television’s delivery of content, which is regulated and controlled in terms of what is broadcast. Online viewing enables seemingly endless opportunities, with the ability to view any material, no matter how obscure, at the viewers command.

  It was 2009’s corporate collaboration between YouTube and United Music Group that began the phenomenal online video platform that is now VEVO. In the three short years following its establishment and release, Vevo’s convergence innovation has proven to be of significant success, “Powered by YouTube, VEVO became the most visited U.S. wen network in Music-Entertainment category with 35.5 million unique visitors that month”. (Jarboe, 2012) This is of little surprise when considering the hugely successful labels that VEVO promotes through its product distribution. Inclusive of the United Music Group, Sony Entertainment, Warner Music and EMI, the potential for international attention and profitability was immense and continues to develop. However the involvement of the four dominant record labels raises concerns. Artists who already struggle against these and other international giants in producing and delivering their music now have the burden of competing with this revolutionary convergence. VEVO endeavours to attract massive advertising opportunities in order to build upon its already phenomenal success, yet the power to do so lies within the ideals of globalising the music industry further through the online music video platform. This leaves many other artists and labels that do not possess the large, disposable budgets at a disadvantage. As author Greg Jarboe states, “Don’t blame me if the music business is difficult to break into, it’s been that way since the late 19^th Century.” (Jarboe, 2012) Author and assistant professor at the University of Oregon, Kim Bartel Sheehan, explains the significance of high market advertising in new media convergences. She argues that “Traditional advertising is failing in its purpose” (Sheehan, 2012) as consumers prefer the influence of their own environment rather than directive marketing strategies.

  VEVO’s ability to annex the roles of more traditional formats of music video distribution has resonated with the themes of the technological revolution. MTV was famous in its pioneering goals to deliver contemporary music accompanied and enhanced by visual elements. This remains the very basis of the modern music video. Yet such ambitious approaches to reinventing the way we receive our music have a nature of progressing and reforming. VEVO is this reformation in action. It has enabled the shift of content from television to online in order to become a new point of access for the products of the modern music industry.

  Lucas Hildebrand’s analysis on the cultural impact of YouTube strikes relevance to this discussion of online access. He states “So much of our personal and social memories are comprised of televised news coverage, commercials and scenes from bad sit-coms”. (Hildebrand, 2007) The cultural shift from television to website has brought about a redefined source of memory. YouTube acts as an easily accessed collection that infiltrates popular cultural memories and records of society that may otherwise be impossible to view.

  What VEVO, YouTube and other sources of online music videos have failed to do, however, is to take over all other means of access. We can still view our music through television just as easily as before the online revolutions began. ABC’s Rage still showcases local and international music as it has done for 25 years.. Entire national subscription channels devoted to music, such as ‘[V]’ and ‘Max’ still thrive and MTV, although criticised for no longer playing enough music videos, remains a strong global source of entertainment. So why has VEVO managed to become so successful without its traditional competition becoming obsolete? Again I reflect upon the concept of technological determinism and the dramatic increase in demand for entertainment it insinuates. Although online music videos are increasingly popular, it could be argued that there remains an existing sentiment to watching your favourite music played on TV, as has been the case for the past 31 years. Not only did we enjoy our own preferences to be played, but were open to the influence of the music station’s recommendations. This is of relevance to Sheehan’s argument that marketing strategies are failing, adding that “Digitization was the biggest challenge ever faced by the advertising industry” (Sheehan, 2009). Without the influence of a shared community, such as the audience of music video stations, finding new music to promote and consume will become a more difficult task.

  YouTube and VEVO have become a global phenomenon of digital media convergence. The cultural and technological shift from traditional media platforms, specifically music video stations, has reconstructed and expanded the way in which audiences’ access, find, share and promote music videos. However, although competing against a promising and profitable technological convergence, these traditional formats of distribution have not been crushed by progressing corporation or made obsolete.  

 

Sean Moran

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Sources:

Sheehan, Kim and Morrison, Deborah (2009) Beyond convergence: Confluence culture and the role of the advertising agency in a changing world, in First Monday, volume 14- number 3, accessed 27^th August, 2012.

 http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2239/2121

 

Hildebrand, L, (2007), YouTube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge, from ‘Film Quarterly’ Volume 16.

 

Jarboe, G, (2012), YouTube and Video Marketing: An hour a day, Second edition, ‘Thursday: Poke around VEVO’, (pages not numbered), published by John Wiley and Sons Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A.

 

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