Recent
times have seen the emergence of digital media convergence, a phenomenon with
the potential for far reaching consequences upon the future of the media
industries. This phenomenon can essentially be defined as:
“The flow of content
across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media
industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences.” (Jenkins 2006)
With
these core ideas in mind, we can then start to examine the impact that this
revolution has had upon media: in particular, that of the online music video. It
would be limiting to focus entirely on Jenkins’ claim, however, with discussions
of convergence requiring an acknowledgement of the underlying cultural, social
and technological aspects (Dwyer 2010: 1). As a relatively traditional media
form, it can be argued that the nature of the online music video has changed significantly
over the past several years. In a larger context, the factors affecting the
music video have wider repercussions on all media industries.
In better
understanding the effects of convergence, it is useful to briefly look at the
nature of the music video. Austerlitz (cited in Munt 2011: 3) notes that “the
music video did not die; it merely mutated, onto a new host: the Internet”, and
further goes on to argue that there was a shift away from expensive productions
towards cheaper ones. Once being most easily accessible through dedicated
programs on Music Television (MTV), they have since become available online. With
the subsequent rise of the Internet, this has then created a potential issue
for media companies by creating a mostly unregulated space where media
industries lack control over their content. Prior to the digital revolution, these
companies would have been able to profit through the significant control they
wielded over the distribution of content (Hilderbrand 2007: 55).
Historically,
there had been a lack of collaboration between the various media industries. Each
industry held a distinct role, with each delivering only one type of media
product. This has since evolved into a state where individual industries have
converged, allowing for the availability of their respective services and
content across multiple outlets. (Pool, cited in Jenkins, 2006) Of importance
here are companies such as VEVO, the Universal Music Group (UMG) and YouTube,
offering an insight into industry cooperation.
Drawing
upon the notion that audiences will go anywhere in their hunt for entertainment
(Jenkins 2006), it can readily be assumed that the same can be said for music
video audiences. There exists a range of reasons for this trend – they may be
unable to find a particular video on one site, or are in search of a higher
quality one. While it is widely acknowledged that YouTube is the foremost video
hosting site, there still exist others such as Vimeo and Hulu, which remain
used by many, reaffirming an earlier notion that that services are accessible
in multiple ways.
Alternative rock band Angels & Airwaves employs this to their advantage, having dedicated channels across multiple platforms that provide much of the same content. For example, the music video for their song ‘Hallucinations’ is available on both YouTube (above) and Vimeo (below), and appears to be identical upon cursory glance. However, upon closer examination, the version hosted on Vimeo is evidently of higher quality, without the need for the adjustment of settings. Through this, it can then be concluded that the migratory behaviour of audiences has been influenced by the desire for high quality content. Furthermore, this multi-availability of videos has the potential for exerting the influence of a particular person or organisation.
In almost the same way that
audiences will utilise media sharing sites as a means for entertainment, so too
will they begin to use them as a space for creative expression. In its
traditional state, media was characterised by an evident lack of audience
participation, being an effectively oligarchic state where media distribution
was controlled by a few. Where once the citizen was limited to being a media
spectator, the onset of the digital media revolution heralded an advancement of
the ‘participatory culture’, bringing in creative spaces for content production.
With the ease of access to these spaces, and the providing of the appropriate
tools, there was a blurring of the lines between the consumer and producer (Jenkins
2006). In saying that, there has been an evident shift in who has the power to
publish content, tying in with the idea that money no longer plays a
significant role in production (Austerlitz, cited in Munt 2011: 3). These
notions have most visibly played out through video form; in particular, the music
video, given that sites such as YouTube offer easy and free hosting for anyone.
Australian hip-hop group
E11eventh Avenue provides an excellent example of this, relying on commercially
available equipment to produce quality content. As a result, we then see evidence
of how this revolution has enabled consumers to become citizen producers.
There is no denying the impact that the phenomenon of digital media convergence has had on the media industries. From
one angle, we can see that the revolution has brought on a negative impact in that media companies must now contend with the unregulated flow
of their content on sites such as YouTube. However, it is also evident that the
convergent revolution has come with more upsides. Through the subsequent coming
together of separate media companies and industries, there has been facilitated
the ability for content to flow across multiple platforms. Furthermore, it has
had an enabling effect in musical artists to establish their foothold, as well
as contributing to a participatory culture by allowing citizens to produce
their own content.
Bibliography
N.B. All images sourced from Google Images, using search terms 'MTV' and 'VEVO'
Bibliography
N.B. All images sourced from Google Images, using search terms 'MTV' and 'VEVO'
Unit Readings
- 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, New York, New York University Press, pp. 1-24
Recommended Readings
- Jenkins, H (2004) 'The cultural logic of media convergence', International Journal of Cultural Studies v1, pp. 33–43 <http://ics.sagepub.com/content/7/1/33.full.pdf>
Further Research
- Jarboe, G (2012) YouTube and Video Marketing: An Hour a Day, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Indianapolis
- Jenkins, H (2006) Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture: Media Education for the 21st Century (Part One), viewed 1 August 2012 <http://henryjenkins.org/2006/10/confronting_the_challenges_of.html>
- Munt, A (2011) ‘New directions in music video: Vincent Moon and the ‘ascetic aesthetic’’, TEXT, no. 11, pp. 1-10, Australasian Association of Writing Programs, viewed 14 August 2012
Videos
- angelsandairwaves (2010) Angels & Airwaves “Hallucinations” Official Music Video Full Rez HD, viewed 6 August 2012 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShFer_hFZxs>
- Angels And Airwaves (2010) Angels & Airwaves Hallucinations Music Video, viewed 8 August 2012 <http://vimeo.com/10227216>
- e11eventhavenue (2011) E11eventh Avenue – Dear Destiny (Music Video), viewed 5 August 2012 < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_ljcEbd6QA>
Websites
- ABC. E11eventh Avenue, viewed 5 August 2012 <http://www.triplejunearthed.com/E11eventhAvenue>
- EMI Group Limited. EMI Music | EMI Music - News from one of the world's leading music companies, viewed 30 August 2012 <http://www.emimusic.com/>
- Modlife Inc. (2011) Angels & Airwaves // Home, viewed 8 August 2012 <http://modlife.com/Angelsandairwaves>
- Sony Australia. Sony Home & Consumer Electronics : Sony Australia, viewed 30 August 2012 <http://www.sony.com.au/section/home>
- Universal Music Group. Home | Universal Music, viewed 30 August 2012 <http://www.universalmusic.com/>
- Viacom International, Inc. New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Top Stories | MTV, viewed 30 August 2012 <http://www.mtv.com/>
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