I read an interesting article today which caused me to stop for a second, and briefly take notice of the society we live in. It is no doubt waaaay different than the society I grew up in. I came to the conclusion that social media has entirely changed our lives, and our way of life. The article I read was in the Wall Street Journal, in the "Weekend Journal" section, which often discusses pop culture, the latest tech gadgets, movie reviews, etc. It's not the typical WSJ material. It was titled, "Is Video Killing the Concert Vibe?" Essentially it discusses how the music industry, and artists specifically, have reacted to the proliferation of cameras, cameraphones, min-recording devices, etc. at their concerts. We have all seen what happens next. The concert-goer then downloads the footage onto their Facebook page, Twitter feed, Youtube and any other social media apparatus. In addition to what may be blatant pirating, the article suggests that the modern-day concert is quite a different experience than it was even ten years ago. People...fans...many of them, don't watch the band perform. Rather, they record the show with their lit-up devices, and the recording becomes their focus...not the actual performance. And therein lies the crux of the article: Is this simply the way things are now? Bands and their management lose revenue from the actions of the many, while simulatneously relinquishing "creative control" of their product, which is music. The bands lose revenue because they lose the ability to make DVD sales and the like, because in many cases, the market becomes "flooded" with the amateur videos that are posted on the Internet for free. Also at play here, is the bands' willingness to accept this behavior or not. Do they want to alienate fans by not appeasing the younger generation, who feels it is their right to record and then post material on the world-wide-web.
If nothing elese, I found it interesting to read about just one other palpable way that social media is genuinely affecting our way of life. You music lovers (like myself)...Thoughts?
Pirating music isn't something new. I knew of people that would sneak in tape recorders to concerts back in the 80's and then turn around to sell them at music shows. I never bought any of the pirated music, but I listened to some of it and the sound was OK at best. I am not sure if you are old enough to remember, but when MTV came into existance the first video was by The Buggles. Their song was titled, "Video Killed The Radio Star". It didn't kill it, but only increased the marketing of the bands. It has only changed in today's society where we have video phones, etc to record the music and upload it to the internet. It can be looked at as free advertising for the band. Someone that has never heard the band or the new music, may research them and buy the song for their mp3 player and buy tickets to their next concert.
ReplyDeleteAnother note, Metallica fought piracy with Napster and won. Did it hurt them? Maybe a little, but they ar still rocking today.
I think nowadays people go to the concerts just for the stars they love. They just focus on one or two persons, do not care about the quality of the concerts. And as the modern media grow up, we have more ways to choose, so the traditional concerts are eclapsing. If I can watch the shows on the TV, Youtube, or tweet, why should I pay money and go to the concerts? There must be something to do to change this trend.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think video cameras and cell phones are changing live music. I do, however, agree that all these different devices are making it difficult to control Digital Rights Management (DRM). The topic doesn’t apply to live music, but applies to all aspects of technology. There are programs to record music streamed from your computer on to your hard drive, and it’s perfectly legal. Pictures taken of a band and/or concert are the owned by the person who took the picture. Families are no longer watching TV programs when they’re first aired on TV. Instead, the DVR has changed the way TV is watched! We’re in a different society indeed. We have become so overwhelmed by recording technologies that there is no right or wrong way to go about it.
ReplyDeleteThe motivating factor behind recording industries, movie producers, and photographers is to stay profitable. They might try to keep the technology under control, but the best way to deal with it is to adapt to the new way. Find ways to stay profitable and change as needed.
I feel that when others videotape concerts and artists that I have an interest in, it only increases my motivation to go see that show. By getting a 'sneak-peak' (like you would see of a movie), I am more likely to go see that movie or show. I do not feel that it is changing the concerts integrity or by any means, allowing for less people to go to these shows. As an a young, avid Bruce Springsteen fan, I can assure you that shows are still going to be sold out within minutes like they have been.
ReplyDeleteAs far as pirated music, I agree with Troy that the quality is always sub-par when listening to recorded music by a third party. It has been a problem since I can rememeber, and only increased since the start of the internet. Until consequences are enforced, and enforced on ALL individuals, pirated music and movies will exist. Unfortunatly, the resources needed to locate everyone using pirated music cannot be made available.
I am a musician currently playing live shows and concerts. This issue of piracy can be a problem but you must also consider the benefit of the situation.
ReplyDeleteEveryone and their mothers are in bands these days. As a small or unsigned band it is hard to get noticed. There are many avenues bands take to push their music to the masses and create popularity. One way is through live video and video posting. People like to see what bands are working with. If they have live energy. What sort of visual effects are they producing? Video cameras allow for the easy distribution of that live show. However, it is actually more beneficial for a band to have kids come and take video without permission. These kids might be at a show and see a band they never heard but instantly love. How do they spread that information to their friends? With video. Your exposure as a band has now increased ten fold. This concept can work for a band and help in the life cycle of a band.
It can harm a band once a certain level of popularity is reached. However, you might find that this technology had a serious affect on how you got there in the first place.
I do not know if recording of the consent would actually hurt their bottom line it might help it by putting the band’s name out there more. The Grateful Dead have been know for year of letting fan set up microphone to record their shows and they still make a profit at the end.
ReplyDeleteI think from a business point of view dvd sales of the show and even CDs are not where they make their money at. The large profit is all the merchandise that is sold because of the band brand name i.e. t-shirt, video games, clothing lines and the ticket sales is another large area of profit. Neither of them are reduced by someone recording. in fact fan posting concert could early help new band or re introduce older bands to a new generation.