Essay: Music Video - Brendan Ridley 42468043

Ever since the invention of the hairbrush, countless numbers of us have been creating renditions of our favourite pop songs in front of the bathroom mirror. Digital media convergence has now enabled this seemingly inherent desire to be recorded and distributed by anyone, and to anyone, in the world. The cultural context surrounding media convergence has allowed this phenomenon to flourish and has also been aided by the proliferation of devices, such as mobile phones, that allow consumers to record, edit and share their works in public spaces. To illustrate this phenomenon, this essay will focus on the success of Soulja Boy’s song ‘Crank Dat’. In addition to this, technological convergence has encouraged new forms of the ‘music video’, such as Passion Pit’s interactive music video app, which demonstrates that media will continue to ‘converge’, change and shape the way we experience media and music.

Combining both elements of film and elements of music to convey a message, music videos, since their very inception, have been a prime example of convergent media. As Sibilla argues, music videos have traditionally been a way for record labels to promote and advertise new songs and artists. In order to create the clip, a production company would be enlisted to produce the video and then the label would distribute the video to music TV channels, such as MTV (Sibilla 2010). This approach to the music video meant that much high quality content was produced however independent artists, for example, suffered a lack of exposure due to the costs of producing such a clip. Whilst there have been emerging technologies in past decades, such as the camcorder, that could have allowed for independent artists to create ‘home-made’ music videos, MTV had a strict selection criteria, accepting only clips of a high production value (Sibilla 2010). Therefore independent and emerging artists have been searching for new and creative ways to share and promote their music.

As a result of digital media convergence, the YouTube service was created, allowing a television-like experience available on-demand through the Internet. The service allows anyone to post content, which has resulted in a plethora of user generated content, as well as commercially created content available on the site (Hilderbrand 2007). The majority of music videos are now distributed and viewed through YouTube (Sibilla 2010), meaning that independent artists now have access to the same platform, and potential audience, as commercial record labels. Technological convergence has lead to the increased availability of technologies available to ammeters to record video. For example a majority of mobile phones available today now have an embedded video camera (many also featuring direct sharing functionality), therefore it is increasingly easy to create video content for YouTube. Soulja Boy’s song ‘Crank Dat’ was first released as the background music to an ammeter quality dance video that he uploaded to YouTube. The song soon became featured on mainstream radio and the “meteoric rise of his hit” (Rymes 2012, p. 215) demonstrates the way that YouTube levels the playing field between commercial and independent producers in regards to music videos. Interestingly, Rymes argues that the success of the video, and subsequently the song, was largely due to the replicable nature of the accompanying dance routine (2012). This shows that the culture surrounding the convergence of media is that of participatory culture; where consumers are not satisfied with passively engaging with media, but rather, they wish to actively engage with it.

YouTube is a prime example of Web 2.0 and has become a cultural hub for active audience engagement and participation. Besides being able to upload their own videos, on YouTube users can also engage in discussion through the comments system, make a video response to another user’s video and also create public playlist of videos that personally interest them. Hilderbrand notes that the YouTube service was established firmly on “discourses of “community” and Sharing”” (2007, p. 54) and that this is what has set it apart from competing services. This model reflects the culture of convergent media that Jenkins describes where “Consumers are learning how to use these different media technologies to bring the flow of media more fully under their control and to interact with other users” (2004, p. 37). Soulja Boy’s ‘Crank Dat’ demonstrates this aspect of convergence whereby the music video was not only replicated but consumers uploaded their own appropriations of the dance in response to the original clip (Rymes 2012). The way that the music video was able to be so publically reinterpreted ultimately contributed to the success of the song and supports Dwyer’s notion that new technologies, in this case YouTube, “are accommodated by existing media and communication industries and cultures” (2010, p. 2). Therefore, the traditional ideology of the promotion of a song or artist is still applicable today for music videos that embrace convergence and encourage audience participation.

Beyond YouTube, there are other ways that digital media convergence is shaping online music video. One interesting example is Passion Pit’s “Gossamer” app, available online through Apple’s app store, which offers an interactive visual experience, the ability for the user to ‘remix’ one of the bands songs in real-time on their device and sharing functionality. This app firstly demonstrates technical convergence, as illustrated by Dwyer, through the way it uses the iOS device to create and view the ‘music video’ and also share the user’s creations (2010). Furthermore, the app reflects convergent culture through the way that it encourages interactivity and sharing. Created in order to promote the release of the band’s new album (Sterritt 2012), the app, even though a very different example, still aims to promote the music and again supports aforementioned Dwyer’s notion. Additionally this app demonstrates that the music video is not simply confined to a linear format and that media convergence creates many different facets to be explored.



The digital media convergence phenomenon has had a vast impact on the way that music videos are consumed within our society today. As a result of convergence, access to technology to create and distribute music videos online is available to virtually anyone, ultimately leading to a greater diversity in the range of artists that consumers may choose to listen to. Convergence has also made way for new methods of approaching the music video format, incorporating cultural trends of participation and interactivity. Digital media convergence will continue to evolve the music video format and will allow new and interesting ways to experience music and also help a greater variety of bands gain wider exposure.


Works Cited
Dwyer, T 2010, Media Convergence, Berkshire, Mcgraw Hill. Hilderbrand, L 2007, 'Youtube: Where Cultural Memory and Copyright Converge', Film Quarterly, vol 61, pp. 48-57.
Jenkins, H 2004, 'THe Cultural Logic of Media Convergence', International Journal of Cultural Studies, vol 7, no. 1, pp. 33-43.
Rymes, B 2012, 'Recontextualizing Youtube: From Macro-Micro to Mass-Mediated Communicative Repertoires', Anthropology & Education Quarterly, vol 43, no. 2, pp. 214-227.
Sibilla, G 2010, 'It's the End of Music Videos as we Know them (but we Feel Fine)', in H Keazor, T Wübbema (eds.), Rewind, Play, Fast Forward: The Past, Present and Future of the Music Video, Transaction Publishers, New Brunswick; London.
Sterritt, L 2012, Passion Pit's "Gossamer" App, viewed 30 August 2012, <http://www.transchordian.com/2012/08/passion-pits-gossamer-app>.