The Long Tail theory developed by Chris
Anderson in 2006 is interesting to discuss in the light of changes in 2015. What we thought would happen with the
internet and business models has not necessarily followed expectations. Big
corporations still hold a lot of power
and are still making a lot of money. Despite fears of economic Armageddon many
have retained this control in the wild west of the internet and some such as
APPLE have made huge profits and dominated emerging markets.
The Long Tail theory would suggest that the old models
of distribution and consumption are changing so that rather than being force
fed media products by a narrow elite of corporations who dictate our tastes and
preferences, the internet will democratize production of media texts and their
consumption by audiences. This is because producers will find it easier to
reach an audience and cheaper and more accessible technology will allow more
people to create a wider range of media texts.
Rather than listening to a narrow range of pop hits promoted by record
companies such as Sony Music or watching an endless slew of Hollywood action
films featuring heroes such as Tom Cruise and Schwarzenegger we will be able to
find ‘niche’ products which appeal to wider and more varied tastes.
The internet is supposed to have
democratized production of media and allowed for a wider variety of texts to be
consumed.
Different economic models are supposed to
have emerged challenging the old vertical model where an artist signed a
contract with a studio or a record company and in return had their music
promoted and distributed. We used the example of Micheal Jackson whose 1982 Thriller
album is the best selling album of all time.
Epic records is part of Sony Music. Record companies would offer promising
artists a contract and in return they would use their established contacts and
resources to market and distribute their music to a wide audience. By making and distributing the products such
as CD's or vinyl to shops and then using the wider established media to promote
the brand this proved to be a symbiotic relationship benefiting each
partner. Warner Music could allow Madonna
to be creative and then they would sell the records, books, concerts,
merchandise, films, music videos and any other assorted elements of the
franchise through various wings of its multi-media global conglomerate that was
‘Time Warner AOL’ at this point. The name itself shows the need for these
companies to move with the times regarding technological advance. The challenge
these media giants faced was how to cope with the advance of the internet where
it looked like everything would be available for free. Somehow the long tail
has not been entirely successful in changing the economic model as these companies are still hugely successful and audiences are still paying for
products even if they don’t physically
exist such as a digital download.
Radio and television were influential in the
old model. Top of the Pops was an institution along with the influential top 40 and the Billboard chart in the US. Music has moved online rather than consumers purchasing physical items and the choice is now huge in
terms of radio stations catering for every niche taste. However, with more
choice does the consumer crave less choice due to human nature, falling back on
the familiar and less challenging ?
Is the audience too afraid of this bright
new dawn or not as skilled in manipulating the internet as we like to think?
Have
these companies found ways to censor or stop sharing of copyrighted material such as ITUNES?
When confronted with a vast choice do we fall
back on the familiar or is it a generational thing that young digital natives have no issue with?
We then looked at a relatively new artist
Hozier. He appears to be a breakthrough
artist whose catchy song, ‘Take me to Church’ has propelled him to global success.
We looked at the music video for this song that deals with persecution of
homosexuality in Russia. We felt that some of the symbols and messages in the
video were clichéd and hackneyed in terms of their predictability and the
graphic representation of homosexuality was no longer shocking although the
issues remain relevant. We felt he had
relevant things to say about the Catholic church which have resonance in
Ireland and this take on religion may be controversial in America where his
marketing suggest he wants to have an impact.
Whilst the video looked as if it could have been shot by a sixth form
student this may have been part of the idea in that production values are still
raw suggesting that this artist is doing it all himself and using the power of
the internet and social media to enure the song is shared widely. It is through
word of mouth that the song gains wider recognition and sharing of the video and
streaming allows it to gather momentum so that it increasingly saturates more
traditional media such as radio airplay and Music television. The internet allows a relatively unknown Irish
artist to gain international, notably American, exposure and find a wide
audience in a short period of time without an overt promotional campaign. The
strength of the song is the key to the success of the artist which suggests a
more pure from of creativity in that audiences are not being subjected to the
preferred content promoted by record companies but the best music rises to the
top dependent on its merit.
How much this is true is for you to decide.
A cynical view would be that once ‘discovered’ an artist is subjected to the
same process that has been the bedrock of the music industry for years and the
old economic model. The next ‘new’ thing is packaged and branded to an ever
hungry audience always on the look out for new talent. Maybe this is a
sociological need to gratify. To be seen
as the first to recognise talent, maybe the first to see them live. An Irish musician, playing American blues
goes viral on you-tube with an incredibly catchy and memorable tune; he plays
carefully selected US TV shows like Ellen and Letterman and these elements lead to sellout US
tours . He is signed to Columbia records
which is a subsidiary of Sony Music, part of Sony Corpoartion.
Maybe that the route to success is more
accessible for the right artist. If an
artist can use the long tail effectively to pick up a niche audience through viral
marketing, such as you-tube, of their hits this could be the quick route to riches and
success. Getting picked up by a record
company is still key to global success though suggesting that the old models are
still extant. One Direction are a good example of how an old fashioned model
like a boy band is still more successful than ever due to new media
technologies allowing users to share and interact making the whole experience
more involving. The record companies still manufacture artists and are quick to recognise and sign up new talent as it emerges so the old model is still dominant. Vested interest and years of contacts and a wealth of resources are hard to over-turn.
We then looked at Ed Sheeran to see how, through
the sheer force of will , an artist can use Web 2.0 to become a global star
despite the lack of looking like a pop star.
Here he is covering Hozier's hit, perhaps not his best idea showing how difficult the song is to cover.
We looked at the way he was branded when he began
and the way he has been branded for a global audience
Here he is covering Hozier's hit, perhaps not his best idea showing how difficult the song is to cover.
We researched his history and made a timeline.
The task was to work in pairs and role play;
Imagine you are Ed Sheeran and apply the
Wikinomics theory to his work.
How do you feel about;
Peer Sharing
How has the sharing of material on the
internet helped or hindered you?
Free Creativity
Do you encourage the internet age of and do
you feel your intellectual property is protected
We Media
Has the internet made the music industry
more democratic
Thinking globally
Some say the internet is the world’s
biggest coffeehouse how has Thinking Globally helped you?
Perfect storm
How have you benefited from the perfect
storm of new technology, the internet, young ‘digital natives,’ and the global
knowledge and creative economy.
How does mass collaboration change
everything?
Here is an example of our own brave young pioneer and digital native Ed Speerman
Click here to see Ed Speerman discuss the questions above
Here is an example of our own brave young pioneer and digital native Ed Speerman
Click here to see Ed Speerman discuss the questions above
