Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Grammy Awards
As I watch the Grammy Awards the other night. I can't help but to think how times have changed. It used to be a star studded event which was so untouchable; now the audience can interact by the way of the Internet! The process was simple. The audience was able to go to CBS.com and vote for the song of your choice that Bon Jovi would perform later in the show. The audience had the decision in their hands,in the comfort of their living room,and at the click of a mouse. You could essentially control the once untouchable rock star, as this new internet media enabled the viewers to become part of this broadcast. As I once read ,a show like American Idol was one of the pioneers of texting age, introducing it to the general public by encouraging viewers to vote via text message. I can only wonder what this audience interaction, on the biggest night of the year for the music industry, might lead too? Any thoughts?
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Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI think you made an excellent observation! Bon Jovi’s performance was an incredible example of music “ON DEMAND.” Personally, I only tuned in to watch their performance and see what the audience chose for them to present on the stage.
I was amazed to watch the band, which was always characterized by its unique ability to connect with an audience, ready to provide, or rather “execute,” the wishes of their fans.
What was the distinction between this voting process for a live performance and one’s process of downloading his favorite song digitally? The new direction of music requires artists to please the audience; nowadays more than ever, do they need to attract people’s attention. Ipods changed the way people listen to music; they gave the audience a level of control which was not provided by any other medium.
It appears to me that the music industry is heading to a one-dimensional dead end. The creative process has been replaced by the constant need to gain the audience’s acceptance.
Margaret M. Roidi
Ahh Margaret you hit one of my major pet peeves about the music industry today. With the increase of the public’s ability to “chime in” on everything from television shows to programming on radio stations, via internet or text, the media industry is bound by public opinion. Even being able to purchase music via iTunes gives the music industry a clue into what the majority of people are listening to while leaving out the minority of people who enjoy different things ( I know I’m having an increasingly difficult time trying to find via download or CD any of the music that I like to listen to) . Every radio station now virtually has the exact same programming with pale shades of difference. Of course this means that more obscure music is having an increasingly difficult time finding its feet in the fast shrinking world of new music and the world is missing out on some great art. The main audience simply wants more of what is around but not anything new.
ReplyDeleteNote that what the internet does, in this instance, is add a feedback loop to what has mainly been the one-way communication of mass media, in this instance, broadcasting. It also adds a back channel in the form of discussion groups and boards.
ReplyDeleteAngela, I do think that overall the effect of the internet is to make more music available, not less. But it has completely disrupted the music industry, and generally works against traditional forms of gatekeeping.
hi, Lisa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your opinion. I think new media really changes our life style a lot. Music industry is one of the excellent example. People can use the interent to download MP3 free. It is a big influence for music industry. Music industry have to find other ways to earn money. As I know, some music companies choose don't publish album on retail market, they publish music on the interent. People can pay less money to download nusic legally. Also, music companies can through vote on the interent to know the album is popular or not when a album will be published. In my opinion, new technology is a tendency. We have to face it and accept it. We should not focus on the negative ways that it brings, we can find out the good ways to makw good use of it. Therefore, new media can help our life efficiently.
Menchun Kuo
The entire world is becoming digital. You can talk to your friends by texting, or even be a factor in important decisions/events. For a long time the viewer had no control over what he/she was watching. Another example is SportsNation.com. The audience can respond to questions relating to the sports world and express their own opinions. In the MLB All-Star Game, fans can vote online for the final reserve player of each team.
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