MAS110: An Introduction to Digital Media Production
Digital media convergence: Online Music Video
Student Number: 42878888
Digital media convergence can be defined as, “the coming
together of media technologies for media consumption, production, and distribution,
and how this leads to new forms and patterns of media use”[1].
Convergence is known to be “more than a corporate branding opportunity,
representing reconfiguration of media power and a reshaping of media aesthetics
and economics[2].”
Due to the fact that analogue data can only exist on
physical media and replications are degraded[3],
the world in terms of convergence has come a long way with digital media now
being perfectly replicable. Once the world was bound to traditional analogue
media and limited to what it could provide. For example individuals used to
have to wait for a hard copy of the local newspaper to be thrown on the lawn
and delivered, but now news is accessible online 24/7; and there is no need to
wait. Newspapers are also available from other countries, not just from an
individual’s local region, as well as news from all over the world being up to
date online for anyone to read digitally. Like Henry Jenkins states of the
black box fallacy, “history teaches us as individuals that old media never die;
they don’t even necessarily fade away, what dies are simply the tools we use to
access media content[4].”
Reinforcing Jenkins statement, there are many media forms that have been
replaced. For example the Apple iPhone has replaced many media forms including
the iPod, GPS, physical forms of alarm clocks, the digital camera, the laptop
and even gaming devices[5],
through the abundance of media forms it offers. We now question the concept and
idea of music television. It is arguable if music television even ‘exists’ in a
sense anymore. The reason for stating this is because as technology evolves,
media forms are replaced like Jenkins states, music television being one of
them.
In reality music television still exists and definitely
hasn’t faded away as music videos are still very abundant, however the tool of
television used to access it has evidently gone. YouTube has now become
renowned for music videos with VEVO, a tool which music artists use to portray
their videos on YouTube. For example the
video attached is from Australian musician, Guy Sebastian from his Vevo channel
with his number one song on the iTunes chart, “Battle Scars[6].”
There is no such concept as waiting to watch a music video on a charts show on
television anymore or waiting through the advertisements to see what music
video is number one. Instead iTunes and YouTube offer individuals the
convenience of watching music videos 24/7 along with parodies of music videos
and a broad range of other versions, such as the acoustic version of a song or
similar songs by different artists, something a music television chart show
does not offer.
Music video, meaning music and image together on a screen[7]
has had a long history and another implication affecting music television is
that it is not being economically invested into. Due to the lack of investment
there is no place for it to be shown on television.[8]
One real life example of digital media convergence affecting music television
is the Australian music television chart show Rage. Although Rage is still
aired on television, it has also evolved and really isn’t just ‘music
television.’ For example it is accessible on mobile, internet and DVD[9].
Another example is the Channel V iTunes music countdown list. This is still
music television; however it has collaborated with an online application, the
Apple iTunes countdown to portray the top music on the charts to show on
television. Channel V also shows viewers popular and newly released music
videos by showing the song as a YouTube video on their website[10].
In this sense, television has in fact collaborated with the internet to help it
broadcast music television. Like Rage,
Channel V is not just music television either; it has its own website[11],
YouTube channel, and Facebook and Twitter page to interact with viewers so they
can meet their wants in the world of music. As stated in Vincent Millers
journal article, “we as individuals are seeing that the internet has become as
much about interaction as it is about accessing information[12].”
Reinforcing this statement, music television channels have made sure this is
most definitely accurate.
Millers also states that we as individuals are in “an
environment that obliges us to write, speak, link and text others on an almost
continual basis to maintain a sense of connection to a social network while
remaining fairly oblivious to the consumption and production of information[13].”
Music television is not what it used to
be in the 1980’s as evidently now viewers are able to interact and request with
the show, not just view music video in its original context. Online music video
has and will continually transform the way we know the landscape of technology
and the world of music television. Music video television has a very long
history dating as far back as 1987, when Rage was first aired[14].
It is evident that since then that digital media convergence has played a
significant part and had an effect in individual’s lives, altering the way we
know and use technology. Like Henry Jenkins states “history teaches us as
individuals that old media never die; they don’t even necessarily fade away,
what dies are simply the tools we use to access media content[15]”,
and music television is the epitome of a prime example of this fact.
Reference List:
Business Insider: “What has replaced my iPhone.”http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-12-05/tech/30029595_1_iphone-gps-device-blackberry
Accessed: 21/08/12
Jenkins, H, 2006, Convergence
Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, NY University Press
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
Accessed: 24/08/12
MAS110 Lecture, Week One: Introduction by Sarah Keith
MAS110 Lecture, Week Two: Digital Convergence by Sarah Keith
MAS110 Lecture, Week Three: Music Video by Guest Lecturer,
by Dr. Liz Giuffre
Miller, V, 2008, Convergence: The International Journal of
Research into New Media Technologies: New Media, Networking and Phatic Culture:
http://con.sagepub.com/content/14/4/387.full.pdf+html
Accessed: 31/08/12
Australian Channel V homepage: http://www.vmusic.com.au/pages/main-menu/channel-v-tv/new-songs-on-channel-v/new-on-v-this-week-aug-17
Accessed: 17/08/12
Online Music Video: “Battle Scars” by Guy Sebastian feat
Lupe Fiasco. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ka1Lgd3SAI Accessed: 30/08/12
[1] MAS110
Lecture, Week One: Introduction by Sarah Keith
[2] 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 Accessed: 24/08/12
[3] MAS110
Lecture, Week Two: Digital Convergence by Sarah Keith
[4] Jenkins,
H, 2006, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, NY University
Press
[5] Business
Insider: “What has replaced my
iPhone.”http://articles.businessinsider.com/2010-12-05/tech/30029595_1_iphone-gps-device-blackberry
Accessed: 21/08/12
[7] MAS110
Lecture, Week Three: Music Video by Guest Lecturer, by Dr. Liz Giuffre
[8] MAS110
Lecture, Week Three: Music Video by Guest Lecturer, by Dr. Liz Giuffre
[9] MAS110
Lecture, Week Three: Music Video by Guest Lecturer, by Dr. Liz Giuffre
[10] Australian
Channel V homepage: http://www.vmusic.com.au/pages/main-menu/channel-v-tv/new-songs-on-channel-v/new-on-v-this-week-aug-17
Accessed: 17/08/12
[12] Convergence:
The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies: New Media,
Networking and Phatic Culture by Vincent Miller, 2008 http://con.sagepub.com/content/14/4/387.full.pdf+html
[13] 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
Accessed: 24/08/12
[14] Australian
music television show ‘Rage’ homepage:
www.abc.net.au/rage/about/ Accessed: 23/08/12
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