Hello everyone,
At first recognition, MTV was a brilliant idea. Delivering music with
a video was a great marketing move. The exposure allowed for big name
artists and small time artists to be seen on TV rather than just in
Concerts.
The biggest issue, however, seems to be related to a slow detachment
from the idea of music. The world blazes by so quickly and we are all so
busy. The only way to grab our attention these days is through visual
and sound cues working seamlessly together. With our brains running a
mile a minute, it is easy to get distracted if only music is playing in
the proverbial background. Visual guidance, per say, seems to be a
requirement these days.
This realization leads me to believe that an appreciation for music,
in itself, is lost. Can many people enjoy a song without having to see a
visual presentation, video, and/or still image during the process? I
would say there is still an abundance of appreciation, but with the
recent influx of meaningless songs, it's hard to visualize a society
that can relate to the music. It seems we have been desensitized to
hearing emotion and soul.
With this being said, I feel more emphasis is placed on visual than
audio. There are massive costs associated with creating a music video.
The costs, being as high as they are, seem to have Record Labels focused
on perfecting only the visual aspect of an artist. The audio doesn't
matter as much, because the majority doesn't seem to care about the
emotion and soul within the song.
Big name artists mainly have their music and lyrics wrote for them.
They only have to play the part and look appealing. In essence, they are
not artists, they are glorified actors. That seems to be what society
only wants, beautiful actors.
These 'Glorified Actors' are put up on pedestals and cherished for
being sexually appealing. The voice, face, and body determine how
popular an artist will become. You can have the worst music ever, but if
you are attractive on multiple levels, you will sell millions.
What is discussed above, however, is slowly fading into the past.
People are slowly accepting the Music Apocalypse. Society is starting to
see that there is more music than what played on MTV and the Radio. MTV
and Radio exposed only what was supposedly demanded, and didn't account
for those who wanted to hear different things.
Comparing ourselves as having the attention span of a three year old
when it comes to music makes sense. If we aren't 'wowed' in the first
few seconds, we move on to a different song. Music videos, however, hold
our attention longer. It's like analyzing a kid watching Elmo on the
TV, but not all random people hand you a bad drug. Some people have
something to show. I find Tool's Music Videos intriguing, and I find
myself wondering what the message is. This is only an example though.
I tend to watch any music videos through the addictive portal known
as YouTube. YouTube is the Google of videos. It is the 'go-to-guy' when
it comes to hear say. If you want to find a music video for a song,
there is most likely one amongst many.
Knowing that YouTube has pretty much become the 'meme' of video
research, it only makes sense that Billboard and Neilson SoundScan have
incorporated streams from YouTube into the formula of determining a
songs placement on the infamous Billboard Chart. Leaving YouTube out of
that equation would obstruct the actuality of a song's popularity.
When it comes to music videos on YouTube, you gain only as much as
life and luck will allow you. Are you there at the right place and time?
Did the right person see your video? This may seem cynical, but even
Jack Conte made a comment relating to YouTube Exposure. "So at some
point you have to sort of throw up your arms and say, "Wow. Pomplamoose
was in the right place at the right time." We worked really hard. You
know, luck favors the prepared, and we were very prepared for things to
happen, but there was also a little bit of je ne sais quoi, a little bit
of magic, and that's not something that you can repeat." (Bylin, K.
2012).
A 'major-label, superstar artist' gains career longevity when
appearing on Music Videos. Humanity is cynical and sadistic. We all want
to see if they look noticeably older, uglier, fatter, skinnier, etc. If
those 'superstars' still appeal physically attractive to the collective
viewership, they get a longer career. If they are noticeably faulty in
the eyes of a socialist Marxist driven economy, their fame will burn up
along with their name 20 years or less down the road.
Sincerely,
Alexander C. Torri
Bylin, Kyle (2012, November 21) The Most Honest Interview About the
Music Industry Ever, Featuring Jack Conte of Pomplamoose. Retrieved from
http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/11/the-most-honest-interview-about-the-music-industry-ever-featuring-jacke-conte-of-pomplamoose.html
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