The doors of innovation are wide open these days. A younger audience has turned to the internet for entertainment more than ever before and artists, musicians, even budding actors and actresses are taking full advantage of it. Virtually unknown artists are creating whole fan bases using custom Facebook fan pages and YouTube channels. The creative control is now in the hands of these hopefuls and they are getting better and better at delivering their message to the masses that surf, browse and most importantly shop the web everyday.
Think about it… When was the last time you saw a whole music video on MTV? The thought to look more into this phenomenon came late one night as I ironically flipped thru clips on YouTube and left VH-1 on. After episodes of Basketball Wives and Single Ladies had played over and over throughout most the night, Nocturnal State came on and I realized something didn’t seem right. There, on the TV, were music videos!
I remember growing up, almost everyday somebody would ask me if I saw a certain music video. Often times I would be the one doing the asking. That question hasn’t gone away it has just changed in format to asking someone if they have seen “that” video on Youtube. The same video that becomes so popular on a custom YouTube channel design then spills into Facebook and Twitter, filling space on a users news feed. It may be a music video, now in an unedited format, but most often it is parody, spoof or prank clip that finds a home on those pages – turning the average Joe into an overnight celebrity of sorts.
It has also never been easier for musicians to reach an audience and work their magic, turning a wide open demographic into a booming fan base, and more importantly, potential customers from the comfort of their own home. Video and Music editing software has made it easier and much more affordable for the virtually unknown to become tomorrow’s superstar while bigger studios and production companies have suffered from the lack of demand for high quality material. More times then not the production of audio and video these days starts and end on a computer, rarely straying anywhere else. And now artists can create custom YouTube Channel designs and feature their material on one of the most highly trafficked website in the world.
Remember when things were live on TV and you had to actually be watching at a certain time to see something happen? The debut of a music video from your favorite artist, the season finale of your favorite sitcom, a really good host on SNL that you just had to see… The urgency to catch something live today is predominately left in the hands of sporting events. Although I do miss those days, I have to admit catching up on the mishaps of the world at any time of the day without interruption is a freedom I have become used to. There is a certain enjoyment to lying in bed with my laptop, surfing YouTube among other sites and catching up on what is going on in the world. Between that and having the TV on in the background, I manage to keep up on what is considered news from day to day. Of course, that same enjoyment in most cases turns to disgust at some point when I read a story or watch a clip of something that is so much of a non-story or so absolutely disturbing or ignorant that it forces me to close my eyes for a moment, take a deep breath and think back on what once was…Ahh memories.