YouTube & Music
December 20, 2006 by Jo Minor
YouTube, the video sharing website, erupted in popularity worldwide earlier this year. This, among other factors, prompted a multi-million dollar takeover by Google who predicted the potential benefit of acquiring its resources, and more so, the name that has since become a household one for millions over the world.
YouTube has been the prime destination on the internet for anyone looking for specific video files, or for anyone intending to watch some of the more entertaining ones on a slow day at work. This sort of reputation is worth millions to some, as the amount of visitors flocking the site could spell serious money for those who possess the knowledge and capability of turning hits to gold.
The site has also been at the center of recent internet events, most notably the Mentos and Coke experiments - for those still in the dark, a couple of guys found a way of creating instant geysers by dropping a few Mentos mints into bottles of Coke, and posted videos of their experiments on YouTube for the world to see - thus propelling YouTube’s reputation skyward at an even faster rate.
Besides such lighthearted shenanigans, YouTube has been an outlet for amateur musicians and bands to showcase their talents to the world, without the absurd costs of producing a professionally-shot music video. Anyone with a decent amount of talent and a webcam can post a video on YouTube, and this eliminates the money-minded middlemen from the equation - thus making independent music easily available to anyone on the internet. This creative exchange works both ways, as unsigned bands and amateur musicians now have a virtual stage for them to perform on, whenever they want to, and the recognition and popularity achieved by YouTube thus far can help these struggling musicians gain the exposure they need.
YouTube also stores, within the safe confines of its databases, thousands upon thousands of music-related videos produced for established musicians and bands. Key in the name of an artiste or band in the search section of the site and it will produce useful results - of course, the amount of results returned from your search depends on an artiste’s popularity. For example, there would be hundreds, if not thousands, of Michael Jackson videos as opposed to maybe just a few MC Hammer videos.
This treasure chest of sorts can contain music-related documentaries, interviews, live clips and fan-made videos that can be of much interest to music aficionados around the world. Once again, YouTube lessens the dependence of fans on other more expensive forms of media - such as DVD releases - and gives them the option of streaming videos for no cost at all. This can be a welcome change to cash-strapped college students or unemployed music fans who can’t afford to purchase pricey CDs and DVDs all the time.
Having said that, YouTube can be viewed as a video version of Napster, the once-hugely popular free music sharing service that brought upon itself mixed reviews from internet users and musicians.
So, what is YouTube’s greatest potential when it comes to music?
YouTube can act as a whole new outlet for music, and can be just as important as our local radio stations and other forms of media, when it comes to bringing music from the studios to the homes of fans. YouTube can also easily defy the constraints of mainstream music, such as censorship and the money-grabbing tactics of record companies, by bringing unadulterated music - that is not watered-down in any way - direct to the ears of listeners. We might even see videos exclusive only to YouTube in the near future - it’s all possible.
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!
