Digital Media Convergence: Music Video Online
To
actively gain an understanding into the phenomenon of Digital Media Convergence one must acknowledge that it encompasses
far more then a technological focus. Other factors that must be considered
include the Political, Economic, Social and Cultural and how they intersect
with the evolution of the Media Industry.
The
shift from the Analogue to Digital Age is set to have a profound impact on the
Media world and its spectators. There will be a surge in the amount of
information instantly available, the creation of new tools and mediums to
access and store it, as well as a greater capacity to expand to new audiences. The
“Access to new media, and especially to mobile and online media, means that people
are able to organise their everyday contacts and their personal, leisure and
work activities while on the move” (Dwyer 2010: 6). In order to thrive,
traditional media companies – radio, print and television must evolve at a
steady rate to ensure that certain age demographics are not discriminated
against and are able to adjust from the old media and adapt to the new.
Economically
speaking these mass media companies are not about replacing current media
technologies but rather integrating them with the new in order to expand its
potential customer population. After all Digital Convergence will impact on the
company’s ability to be an efficient and practical business – Change can imply
the restructuring of the organisation, jobs opening and closing, removal of
unnecessary facilities and equipment – often impacting the next stage in media
practices. With the development of multi-operational media devices and an
advanced infrastructure Benkler believes that this combination will “lower many
of the traditional costs of producing, distributing, and consuming media”
(Moore 2010: 182).
One
example of this steady evolution of media convergence can be observed through
the concept of Music Video.
Many associate the concept of Music Video with
the creation of MTV in 1981, after the ‘Radio
Star’ was murdered. The idea behind linking two of the most popular
pastimes together began long before – it is about emphasising the experience
being had by the audience in relation to the media focus whether it is film,
television or music. Judy Garland sang in The Wizard of Oz, John Travolta and
Olivia Newton-John started the Grease
phase. The Beatles started a frenzy in the United States after their 1964
performance on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Australia enjoyed the success of popular talent shows such as Bandstand, Countdown and more recently Rage, which launched acts such as Johnny
O’Keefe, Skyhooks and Silverchair. One of the most notable shows of all time, a
prime example of Music Video and an incredible feat of media convergence was
the creation of Live Aid. With an
“estimated 1.5 billion viewers across 100 countries watched the shows in what
was one of the largest – scale satellite linkups and live television broadcasts
of all time” (Wyman 2008: 158). These concerts saw $90
million raised for famine relief in Africa; subsequent funds were made with the
release of the CD and video (later on DVD).
Examining Live
Aid from a more digitalised perspective, one could draw on the fact that
while it was for an important cause, the significance of an event this large would
diminish slightly because it is no longer a one-time experience. The music,
television and film industries are funded through commissions, royalties (‘performance, synchronization, print, and
foreign’) and
advertising sponsors (Loizoides 2010: 128), and with the evolution of p2p and
social networking as well as video archives like Youtube, it means viewers
control when, where and how they view it and whether or not they will pay. As
mentioned by Nightingale, the major challenges associated with emerging digital
media is understanding and enforcing intellectual property laws to ensure content
protection, especially as the threat of video sharing, illegal downloads and
production increases (Dwyer 2010).
Copyright has been at the centre of the
intellectual property debate for sometime. To examine in greater detail the
effects digital convergence is having on Music video, one must look no further
then the creation of Youtube, who’s slogan “Broadcast Yourself” gives the user
free range in how they create, control and use the media. This can be seen as both a problem and
saviour. In regards to music videos, there lies a mix of original and
unauthorized content – Numerous parodies, celebrity collaborations and musical
talent (Lonely Island feat. Akon, Justin Timberlake etc, Beyonce’s Single Ladies) where artist/creators are
being acknowledged but by an interpretation that differs from the
original.
The major problem stems from the user
‘plagiarising’ footage from various media forms and uploading the video online
(Still pictures with music playing in background). What makes it worse is the
creation of websites such as keepvid.com,
keep-tube.com and vixy.net, which
allow users to download and convert youtube content to personal media devices
without paying a cent. “Youtube has become one of the most prominent and
popular sites where what’s actually legal law is being contested and
potentially curtailed” (Hilderbrand 2007: 56).
Other sites such as Facebook and Myspace act as
a legitimate advertising mediums for the music industry through BandPage and
Myspace Music. As an advertising medium they allow the free streaming of music
and videos online with the consent of major, independent and budding artist in
a bid to promote their work to a wider cultural audience.
“The traditional media of television, radio and
the press are all evolving along with the rising popularity of new media forms”
(Dwyer 2010: 14). It is this convergence of digital media that sees an
evolution in human interaction and communication, how people understand, learn,
create and exist through media. “Old media never die” (Jenkins 2006: 23), and
through it’s integration with new media and technology Digital Convergence
becomes quite contradictory because as problems disappear, new problems emerge
as seen through the study of Music Video Online.
Reference
List
Mas110
reader
Dwyer, T 2010, “Media Convergence”
McGraw Hill, Berkshire, pp 1-23
Hilderbrand, L 2007, “Youtube: Where
Cultural memory and Copyright Converge”, Film Quarterly, vol. 61, pp. 48 - 57
Jenkins, H 2006, “Convergence
Culture: Where Old & New Media Collide”, New York University Press
Online
Recommended Readings
Orgad, S 2009 'Mobile TV: Old and new in the
construction of an emergent technology' Convergence,
vol. 15 no. 2 pp. 197-214. Viewed 26th August 2012, Sage Journals. http://con.sagepub.com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/content/15/2/197.full.pdf+html
Own
Research
Heatley, M 2008, “Reader’s Digest:
Where were you when … the music played?” The Reader’s Digest Association, Adult
Trade Publishing, Pleasantville NY.
Loizides. L 2010, “The Fat Lady
Still Sings: Bringing Music into the Digital Age”, Transitioned Media, The Economics of Information, pp. 123-134.
Viewed 27th August 2012. http://www.springerlink.com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/content/w45332/?MUD=MP
Moore, MR 2010, “Adaptation and New
Media”, Adaption, vol. 3, no. 2, pp.
179-192. Viewed 27th August 2012, EBSCOhost. http://web.ebscohost.com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=20c77fb1-2c35-4a2b-997f970b2af28cc5%40sessionmgr10&vid=1&hid=19&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f3h&AN=53375152
Roberts, D & Foehr, U 2008,
“Trends in Media Use”, Future of
Children, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 11-37. Viewed 28th August 2012,
EBSCOhost. http://web.ebscohost.com.simsrad.net.ocs.mq.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=7b63516e-0b37-4c6f-b35550b5da626c5f%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=19&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ehh&AN=31703737
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