How are contemporary media issues changing ‘the music video’? Emily Buck and Amy Collins 

Fragmented Audience Audiences are becoming increasingly fragmented as technology within the music industry changes. Technology such as iPods, mobile phones, games consoles and computers mean that audiences are no longer restricted in the way they consume music videos. MP3 players and mobile phones, etc, are personalising music tastes and therefore isolating, to a certain extent, people’s social behaviour. We can also call this ‘living room technology’ as the internet is making things easier to access from home.

Rebranding of MTV MTV has now become more of a lifestyle channel than a music channel. It shows more programmes such as ‘Super Sweet 16’ and ‘The Hills’ instead of it’s main purpose; Music Television (MTV). Although MTV has now become a lifestyle channel it has several sister channels which still show many different types of music videos, these include – TMF, MTV dance and MTV hits.

Decline of Traditional Broadcasts Instead of watching TV, listening to the radio among other things, consumers can now watch BBC iPlayer and use radio catch up services at their convenience. Although radio is popular with older generations, younger demographics are more likely to listen to the chart show on the radio or on the internet at whatever time they decide, than listen to normal radio chat shows, etc.

User-generated Content The expansion of the internet and YouTube has made it easier than ever to make your own content and upload it to the internet for others to see. Many fans now make their own alternative music videos which others can rate and watch. This means that audiences of all ages and of all social statuses can watch any music video they wish to at their leisure. This is also seen as the expansion of the online age. Fan videos are also becoming increasingly popular because they cost very little. This is also a way for unsigned bands to get themselves noticed, for them to create and upload a simple video of a narrative, of them performing, or just random photos of them with a track. YouTube is expanding the music industry and the availability of music video and unique genres, sub-genres and user-generated content.

Web 2.0 Examples

Decline of Record Labels Record Labels are slowly losing control of their budgets. With so many young people and other demographics creating music videos, for example fan videos and parodies, it has almost become fashion to create low budget and creative music videos rather than label-based multi million pound projects. An example of this was Radiohead’s competition to create animated music videos for their album ‘In Rainbows’.