Saturday, September 20, 2008

tHERE'S A LOT TO bE told herE

I know musicians and their companies are still shelling out big bucks to make videos, but I have to ask whether they are relevant anymore -- or if they're simply being made for another venue now. Obviously no one seems to be interested in watching them on television, so perhaps they're being made for YouTube and torrents now.

Yet at the same time we have the rise of the iPod, this generation's Walkman, which is for the most part an audio medium, and one that already is threatening (over here) to destroy the market for physical, permanent media.

I freely admit that at 39 I'm not of the demographic music video producers want. I used to watch MuchMusic religiously, but turned away when the artists I wanted to see -- folks like Enya and Kate Bush -- were pushed aside in favor of gangsta rap "ass videos" as I like to call them. And with Enya supposed to have a new album coming up I'm not even bothering to check TV for any advance music videos, and if she makes one I'll download it from YouTube or elsewhere. But music videos just aren't of interest to me anymore.

But, again, I'm 39 so maybe my personal tastes have changed. What about others here? Are music videos in any way relevant these days, or - just like the 78, the 33 1/3 and the 45 vinyl records, 8-tracks, and audio cassettes, and (some might now say) CDs - is it time to retire this quarter-century-old medium?

eDDIE

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You would listen to Enya ya wee bufty radge!