Friday, October 5, 2012

Streaming Videos Has Created Stars in the Music Industry



Streaming Videos is a Complex Process That Brings Video to the User in Seconds
     As a society, we consume streamed videos constantly.  The song “Gangnam Style” by Psy has received almost 360 million views on YouTube since its upload date on July 15, 2012.  But how is it possible to watch this video so conveniently without having to wait minutes for it to load?  The answer is that the video is streamed to your device.  According to this article, whenever a video is streamed, the user clicks the file he/she would like to view and the web server sends a message to the media server requesting the specific file.  The media server turns the video into the correct format for your computer by encoding it.  The media server then sends the video to the device being used which then decodes the file so that the user can consume it.  The stream is sent to the device being used to watch the stream which has a decoder to display the encoded video for the user.  However, a full version of the file never exists on your device when you stream because the device gets rid of the data as it is consumed unless the data is downloaded.



Streaming Video on YouTube has Become the Go-To for the Music Industry
     According to YouTube facts, as of February in 2011, YouTube users consumed an estimated 92 billion page views each month.  These page views are translated into revenues for certain industries however music is definitely one of the industries affected most by YouTube.  Musical artists such as, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lady Gaga, and Eminem (who has two of the top ten most watched videos on YouTube) have benefitted in many ways from YouTube.  The most popular bands and artists all have very popular music videos with many views showing a definite association between the two.  Even small time bands have been gaining major popularity because of views on their streaming online videos.  The music industry cannot thrive on the views of music videos on television anymore because it is less convenient than using a mobile device.

The Music Industry Uses Streaming Video to Gain Popularity
     One of the most important uses of video streaming today is to gain as many views as possible.  In the music industry, popularity equals money.  If a band is on top of the Billboard 100 then they are getting their music involved with everything such as, commercials, movies, television shows and more.  All of these opportunities bring in a unique opportunity to gain a lot of revenue but the song or album has to get popular before it can transform from raw music to cold hard cash.  An artist is going to have to get their song out there and one of the most popular ways to do that now is through a music video.  This article states that television shows like MTV have dropped in the ratings by double digits and are relying on old shows such as “Jersey Shore” to keep up the ratings.  Music Television is not even relying on music videos to keep up their views because people are not watching MTV anymore because of the convenience of streaming them on the internet.  If an artist wants to gain popularity through music videos then the way to go is through the internet and streaming.
Major Success Stories from Music Video Streaming (Journey)
     One specific success story from a small time singer came from Arnel Pineda, the current lead singer for legendary band Journey.  In an article, it is said that Pineda was discovered by the band when they were searching YouTube.  Pineda, the Filipino singer, was unknowingly discovered and six months later he was headlining a full-fledged tour of the States and Europe.  Not only did he get the chance to tour with the classic rock super group, but they released an all new album featuring his voice.  Pineda was given the opportunity of a lifetime because someone with a camcorder decided to upload a video of him singing with his band.  This shows the power of what streaming a music video can do to anyone.
Streaming Videos is the Way for Musical Artists to Spread Music
     Overall, the music industry needs video streaming in order to keep music videos relevant.  It is often that people gain an enormous amount of popularity through a music video found on the internet, another story is about a woman who goes by Birdy and covered Bon Iver’s “Skinny Love”.  Streaming videos has become an integral part of the music industries focus on marketing artists and it also plays a large role in unsigned artists trying to gain popularity.  Streaming videos affects many different industries and the music industry is definitely one of them.
 

2 comments:

  1. Video streaming on the Internet is something that has definitely gained popularity in recent years. Whether it is uploading a video to stream to one’s private audience about their recent travels or attempting to become an overnight Internet sensation on Youtube. With social media becoming a more and more prominent aspect of our daily lives it is essential for the music industry to keep up with the changing times and stream videos online as well. These online streaming videos allow the fans of superstars to watch music videos and even interviews of their favorite celebrities from the comfort of their own home which makes sense why the viewing of MTV have gone down in recent years. One of the most popular music sensations, Justin Bieber, was one of the pop idols that was first discovered by streaming videos on Youtube of his performances. Streaming videos makes it seem like music video channels such as VH1 and MTV will soon become impractical and unnecessary.

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  2. Wow - it never would have even occurred to me that MTV's ratings would drop as a result of the streaming of YouTube videos, but that makes a lot of sense. Something you might have missed regarding the streaming of videos is the competition pool it has created. Nearly every aspiring musician has uploaded themselves onto their own page on YouTube, and done their best for it to go "viral". While video streaming no doubt has helped many in the music world, it has also created a sense of false hope for many musicians - the number of success stories are minimal compared to how many talented people attempt to become the next Justin Bieber. Also, video streaming has taken away a bit of the "music" in the industry - many artists are judged not by their voice, or the music they create, but by how innovative their music video is, merely because of it's visual stimulation.

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