Cell Phone Killed the Video Star?

Back in the day, when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was still in high school, a new entertainment format burst onto the scene and transformed the popular music scene. I am sure that MTV executives had no idea how prophetic the video for The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star would be.

Okay, maybe I exaggerate. Video didn't exactly kill the radio star, it just changed the emphasis on what was required to be a music star. In the new music world, good looks and fancy dance moves were just as important -- sometimes, more important -- than traditional musical talents. As had been the case with the original rock 'n' rollers, music videos also provided a convenient way of splitting the world into "us" and "them". We watched videos; our parents didn't.

Back in the 1980s and 1990s, video seemed firmly entrenched in popular culture. Budgets were big, production values were high, and MTV was even able to justify holding an annual music video awards show a la the Oscars. According to a report on the CTV website, however, the times they are a-changin', thanks to three newer technological/cultural revolutions.

The first revolution is YouTube, the video sharing site where people can post short video clips. Sometimes people post clips of their favourite shows, but a number of bands have used YouTube as a means of publicizing their music. A video camera, an editing program, and a vision are all that is required to make your own music video. And the masses are lapping it up. Hell, even an old fart like me sometimes checks out YouTube, as you may remember from links in previous posts.

The second revolution is the changing way in which we watch television, movies, and videos. Gone are the days when you gather around the sacred box in the family room. Sure, TV screens are bigger than ever and surround sound makes the audio experience even better than in the past, but the television no longer monopolizes the medium. People watch broadcasts on their computers and on cell phones, both of which have smaller screens than the normal TV.

And of course, the third revolution is the widespread downloading of music files, a practice which has hit the music industry with all the force of a Mack truck rolling down a mountain road. While some artists still do well, gone are the days when an album could sell 50 million copies like Michael Jackson's Thriller. (To be fair, MJ does hold the record for most copies of an album sold, but given the new economy the only way his hold on the record will end is if some future dictator makes an album of his version of Mein Kampf and then "encourages" his followers to buy it.)

And therein lies the cause for the demise of big budget videos. It's a matter of common sense, really. Why both spending a million dollars to create a cinematic work of art when it is going to be watched on a screen the size of a large postage stamp? Why bother with set design and fancy costumes and ornate props when the person watching the video will only see a small amount of what was actually captured?

So perhaps we are returning to the status quo ante video. If production values and looks count for less, perhaps musical ability will count for more. One can hope.

To see the original news story, check out: /www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070907/music_videos_070907/20070907?hub=Entertainment