Youtube killed the video star
September 2nd, 2006
Back in 1979 the Buggles releases a new wave song named Video Killed the Radio Star that celebrated the golden age of radio. When the fledging MTV network launched in 1981 the ground-breaking video for the song was the first video to be shown. Over the years MTV has premiered groundbreaking shows like Yo MTV Raps, Real World, MTV Movie awards and of course the Video Music Awards (VMAs). Originally beginning as an alternative to the Grammy Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards is now a respected pop culture awards show in its own right, with some of the most memorable antics and performances in memory.
The VMAs were somewhat of a disappointment this year, because they don’t just represent “pop culture” but they are supposed to represent the new, hot and the now. This year the VMAs became the Grammy’s. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because there is evidence everywhere that “pop culture” just isn’t as popular anymore- and it’s hard for MTV to have the real-time effect that Youtube and Myspace can have.
It just so happened that while I watching the show I was also making notes for the Businessmakers interview with Chris Anderson, author of The Long Tail when something popped up on that caught my attention - The OK Go guys were at the VMAs performing their crazy treadmill routine. I immediately thought “Wow, now that’s the Long Tail in action” - a video that gained popularity on YouTube was being performed on what is considered the biggest award show of the year - and getting a response at least equal to the repsponse that established stars were getting. In a small way this demonstrates how the “hits” although still relevant don’t command 100% of the attention of the masses.
Coincidently Damian Kulash from OK Go was interviewed by Stephen Colbert in a sement called American Pop Culture - It’s Crumbelievable! The segment did a great job of defining what “The Long Tail” means and how much things really are changing.
Great quotes from the segment…
- Why can’t awesome be what music executives tell us it is? (This is just classic)
- It’s not just advertising where the center can’t hold…It’s all across our pop cultural landscape.
- That’s not just a commercial for cheese, it’s also a perfect metaphor for the state of our pop culture: crumbled into little pieces.
Greg Frank
September 3rd, 2006
You mean I shouldn’t believe that Britney Spears is awesome just because the records executives tell me? Crap what have I done with my life. On a serious note there is a lot of money to be made by having a hit.
Kelsey Ruger
September 3rd, 2006
I would never argue that hits make money, but hits also cost more these days . How much money do you have to spend to market a movie, artist or actor so that it/they can be considered a hit? 10,20,30 million? I think over the long haul this is definitely something the movie and music industries have to consider. There is a lot of money to be made if they embrace the digital age and take advantage of the long tail. “More of Less” works best in a situation where distribution and/or storage costs are low. That’s why it works for Netflix and iTunes.
Music video news
September 13th, 2006
[…] Visit original post by Kelsey Ruger […]
What is Web 2.0??? Technology? Hype? Or Human Conversation and Community « Compassion in Politics
August 21st, 2007
[…] One more sign that the old guard might be crumbling is “You Tube Killer the Video Star” with some Steven Colbert love. Corporations are seizing this opportunity too. Tracking the Influence of Conversations: A Roundtable Discussion on Social Media Metrics and Measurement is a manifesto and testament to this shift. I highly recommend it for anyone looking at the cultural or commerce ramifications of this fundamental shift in the way we communicate and do life. […]
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