Viral & Serial Videos Important Tool to Independent Artists
When Toby Keith went to make a video for his song “Red Solo Cup”, he decided to give it a “viral” feel, trying to take advantage of a trend in video production that many independent artists use out of necessity. “Viral” videos started as a phenomenon in the amateur ranks, and then became a stylistic approach by independent artists who could not afford big video productions.
Though the “Red Solo Cup” video starts with a fuzzy screen and a “record” light blinking in the corner, make no mistake, the video was painstakingly planned out and produced. But the “viral” feel of the video, and of the song itself, (Toby calls it “the stupidest song he’s ever recorded), is probably a big reason the video has been #1 on CMT for going on 2 weeks. However you won’t find the song “Red Solo Cup” anywhere in the Billboard charts, at least for the moment. And if you do in the future, it will likely be from the strength of the video.
In late August, Shooter Jennings released a video for his song “Outlaw You”, shot in a true, one-take “viral” format that rocketed to the top 5 of CMT’s video chart with no attention paid to radio at all. The postulate that YouTube is the new radio may be more true than ever. It was thought “video killed the radio star” went out of vogue when MTV pulled most of its music programming for reality TV and began to focus myopically on the teenage demographic. Sometime in the late 90’s, videos became an elective in music. But since the death of MySpace, and since Facebook pays little attention to the social networking aspect of music in a direct manner, YouTube might be music’s most dominant social networking tool.
Following this success and attention to video, many independent artists are making video a bigger priority. And not just one video, but multiple videos, “serial” video releases if you will, of both viral and more conceptualized varieties, to keep their music in the forefront of fan’s minds over a longer period than just an album’s initial release. Dale Watson released an original video for each song from his recent The Sun Sessions album. Through Paste, Scott H. Biram has been releasing a video a week from his latest Bad Ingredients project. And Hellbound Glory has just released two videos from their upcoming Damaged Goods record, with more on the way. Both Hellbound videos are directed by Blake Judd of Judd Films, and edited by Cody Meek.
As the filmmaker for some of Scott Biram’s new videos, all the new Hellbound Glory videos, and Shooter’s viral “Outlaw You” video, Blake Judd has a good perspective on the resurgence of videos in music.
From my point of view, the game is changing. Venues can’t promote like they used to, fans don’t go to show as much, and bands aren’t getting the exposure on the road that they once did. It’s all moving online. You can reach far more people through online content now than you can on the road. You still have to get on the road, even though most bands lose money or just break even, to build that fan base and get to that great but small group of people that still go to shows, to help spread the word and make personal connections. But the point is, sometimes less is more with online content, and at the same time, more is better.
And I don’t know exactly what the term “viral” means. They’re just single-take or two-take videos that give you a feel of a band and their music. Â Like I keep saying to some of these bands who need content, less production and more videos that just represent their music in a solid manner will benefit them greatly.
Judd Films will be filming videos this week for Shooter Jennings’ upcoming album Family Man due in early 2012.
Chris Green
November 6, 2011 @ 4:48 pm
Good article. It’s amazing how many heavily small bands do not have even one good video on youtube. If you’re a touring band and don’t even have that one video, you’ve robbed yourself by:
– depriving any fans you may have of an easy link to send to their friends that they’re trying to get to go to the show.
– cutting off the local entertainment websites from a trivial way to summarize your show to their readers.
– eliminating the chance that someone who might like you might stumble across something that shows you in a positive light via youtube’s related-video suggestions.
It doesn’t have to be viral, clever, professionally produced, etc to be valuable as a promotional tool for your live show. All if has to do is show off whatever it is about you and your music that you think make it worth attending your show, with reasonable camera setup and good sound quality.
While I do think a good planned session such as the Hellbound Glory video you post can be an asset, I think it’s also true that a quality live video from a real show can be an even better tool for promoting your concert.
The kind of video link I like to look for is one that sounds great, shows the band at their most engaging, _and_ shows some appealing audience footage as well. I figure that if the video shows people having a good time, then people who see it can easily be convinced that they would have a good time as well.
The Triggerman
November 6, 2011 @ 5:46 pm
These are some great points. Touring without great videos can be like putting the cart before the horse. I know there are some bands out there that think that just because they have an album, it’s entitled to be heard, and just because they pile into a van and drive around the country, they’re entitled to great crowds. It’s so hard to make it in music these days, not only because there’s less support from album sales and at live shows, but because there’s so many more bands and artists out there vying for people’s attention.
This same principle goes to writing about music as well. I can spend 5 hours writing a review for an album, and a lot of people will pass over all the words and go directly to the videos or song samples, and I don’t blame them. A video is an easy way to turn your brain off, cut through all the bullshit and see if the music speaks to you or not. What’s funny though is that on this site in particular, I have an unusual proportion of people that read whatever I write, but don’t watch the videos. But without question, a review accompanied by a great video will always solicit a stronger reaction.
Honest Charlie's Productions/Misfit Radio
November 6, 2011 @ 6:57 pm
Interesting you should bring up the point about artists needing good live video because I feel exactly the same way. I have strayed from my radio show I ran for over 4 years to concentrate on good video production primarily focusing on producing live video. Whether or not I have achieved that goal or not is another story but either way I am striving to make it better. I am sure at some point I may do a video when the right opportunity arises but for now live is where its at for me.
The Triggerman
November 6, 2011 @ 8:19 pm
Trailtrash videos are some of the best out there of these artists, and I seek them out by name when I’m either researching an artist, or want to use a video in an article.
I think when you’re talking about viral videos or live videos, there’s a certain threshold, or even expectation of imperfection. For example in the first Hellbound video above, I think you could make the case that it wouldn’t be as good if there weren’t cars driving by in the mix. It gives it that sort of authentic energy, or the beauty of American imperfection that would be missing if it was studio-quality audio being lip-synced.
Honest Charlie's Productions/Misfit Radio
November 7, 2011 @ 7:46 am
I appreciate the kind words man. Its Trailrash but you can call me how you see fit.. haha. Actually I wish I could change my youtube channel name but oh well.. way too late now..
Back on topic though.. I like the idea of the viral video as a matter of fact I was tossing around that same idea about year ago I just didn’t call it viral. It is more real for sure and I never liked the idea of lip-syncing. Putting together both audio and video with the imperfections of a live environment makes it more interesting unless of course you have obnoxious drunk frat boys in the house.. Maybe this gave me the inspiration to put something together and follow through this time..
DerekP
November 6, 2011 @ 7:40 pm
I think you are 100% right on with this article. Even just one good YouTube video is great for a band. I know first thing I do when I hear of a new band is look them up on YouTube. Sure every band has shitty cell phone filmed live footage, but it is very grainy and the audio is always terrible. With the internet as important as it is in the music scene today, making a simple video helps you reach more people than ever before. I can even watch YouTube from my phone. It has worked great for Hellbound Glory in the past, the video for Hellbound Glory has almost 8500 hits and Scumbag Country has almost 17000. I hope to see more bands doing the “viral” videos in the future.
shawn tackett
November 7, 2011 @ 1:26 am
I agree just like I prefer cds over downloading, videos are burned into your mind, you actually see the song play out in pictures… multiple videos, I hope catch on with more artists, just like cds, tom waits new cd, has a limited edition, that has 3 extra songs, and a 40 page booklet, you do not get the 3 extra songs when you down load the album…. cds provide more money for the artists, how can an artist make a living, off of people down loading, just one or two songs?.. when you buy the whole album.. you are supporting all the songs.. not just one or two, and let’s face it, how many people who down load on this website, down load every single song on an album that is recommended here?
not very many, most just down load one or two songs.. no, buying the whole album, is the way to go, for me, and I prefer things you can hold in your hands, every one thought down loading would kill cds, and yet, cds are still selling in the millions, and hell lps are even selling, so just like the music videos these are going to last, and the more the merrier, I say… supporting an artist buy not just watching a video, buy the cd, not 1 or 2 songs… yeah you say concerts are the money makers? yeah, so hell bound glory, tom waitts, and those poor bastards sell out millions of seats, 200 a ticket right? big OLD NOT!!! I know I got off topic, but I do agree that viral videos help get the artist exposure, but buying the cd, that they put out helps even more… I say the more money we put in the pockets of hell bound glory, those poor bastards, and bob wayne, and all the other independent artists, the more we help them survive, if down loading is the way to go, then why do so many artists put out these limited cds with all these cool features and extra songs you cannot download?? just like the music video, cds still matter.
I buy all the cds I can, of the XXX artists and artists who are rated here who put them out, and I have a you tube channel promoting these artists as well, yes videos are important, but so are cds, I do not down load, just like many people who do not, why don’t the artist who put there albums on download, put their albums on cds as well? they are missing a whole bunch of customers, who might have other wise bought their album.. case in point, I have several hell bound glory cds, but I don not have their new album.. it’s down load only… SORRY , but I will not down load, so I guess I will miss this album, how sad, down loads have NOT KILLED CD sales like many have claimed they would… Independent artists should want all the sales they can get… ignoring the cd audience, puts let money in their pockets..if people want to down load, fine, but I am enjoying my new tom cd, with the 3 new songs, that YOU DON’T HAVE, and my 40 page booklet… if the independent artist thinks down loading is going to replace cds, and they ignore the cd audience, then they can make all the videos that they want, if no one is buying, their music, but let’s just see how many videos that get like 100 hits or less, will they really be remembered 20 years from now? I would put my money on the artist that would get their music out to as many people as they can.. videos, down loads and the purchasing of CDS!!!!
Jack Williams
November 7, 2011 @ 8:54 am
According to the Rusty Knuckles website, they’ll put out a CD release after they sell all of the vinyl copies. That’s what I’ll wait for. Maybe I’ll pick up Scumbag Country at the same time to complete the collection.
I’m of your mind regarding CD’s. I still consider them the happy medium. It’s a physical product that’s reasonably portable. It requires basic maintenance to keep in good shape. I’m just not going back to LP’s and so far I’ve resisted the notion of downloads, except for free samples, which I use in decision making.
Waiting for Del McCoury’s tribute to Bill Monroe, Old Memories, to come out on CD as well.
The Triggerman
November 7, 2011 @ 9:01 am
I appreciate your crusade against downloads, and I think you’re leaving out one of the most important points, that MP3’s are compressed files and the sound quality just isn’t as good with a CD, just like a CD isn’t as good as an LP.
My suggestion to all artists is that they make their music available in as many formats as possible, including digital download and CD, and on as many sites as possible: Amazon, iTunes, CD Baby, and their own site so people can buy directly.
One issue I do have though with these bonus tracks that many artists are putting on their CD’s is that they are restricting the audience for those tracks. I’m sure everyone would prefer to have a physical copy of an album with a 40-page booklet and extra songs, but for some, it comes down to economics and time. When the Tom Waits album came out, I think it was $5.99 on Amazon. The CD with shipping was over double that. Plus some people don’t want to wait for the CD, then when they get it, import it into their library, then get it on their MP3 player if that’s how they listen to music.
And I appreciate that in country 85% of people still listen to CD’s, but country has been notoriously behind the technology curve when it comes to music. Make no mistake, that CD format is dying, it is just taking longer for that trend to catch up with country music. And if you took a poll of the people who come to a site like this for example, I would guess it would be less than 50% would name CD’s as the primary way they listen to music.
Pillsbury
November 8, 2011 @ 10:54 am
It would be interesting if you did a poll to find out what percent of your readers prefer CD’s over downloads and vice versa.
shawn tackett
November 7, 2011 @ 1:31 am
and by the way, rolling stone did an article on country music, earlier this year, and according to sound scan 85% of country music listeners BUY THEIR MUSIC ON CDS, NOT OWN LOADS!!! so please people listen to the fans who buy the music!! put your music out on cds, as well if you offer down loads, thanks!
shawn tackett
November 7, 2011 @ 1:32 am
I meant down loads, sorry
Denise
November 7, 2011 @ 6:18 am
In today’s online world, I see the advantage of Youtube and the importance of viral tracks so that the fan or curiosity seeker can catalog and collect. I know for me nothing replaces the live show. I like it from the minute I pull out of my drive to the moment I return back home. The energy of the people, the band, the venue and so forth makes it easy to feed upon. I will also always like something tangible in my hand. I like the liner notes, the coldness of the CD, putting it on and pushing play. Maybe it’s the anticipation. I think this is a very interesting angle on the subject as men are primarily visual and women are more emotion driven ( so they say, whomever they are) and so when I can’t afford to travel to see shows, I can get online and feel some of that energy through video.
By the way, I want to pump up Blake Judd for a bit. I met him some years ago, just said hello and such, but I could see immediately what a down home, honest person he is. After watching Seven Signs, I saw immeditately what a huge talent he possesses. I think he captures a realness that you don’t always see. I also think he is conciensous of the world in a way that triggers your involvement. He has what you call a good eye. If you’ve never seen Seven Signs go on and see it. You won’t be disappointed.
One last thing while I’m on my soapbox. I have been coming to SCM for awhile now. I really enjoy it. I was hoping though for a little more conversation. I know in the past artists have stopped by and commented here and there, but even aside from that, I was hoping for a little more bantor when people have disagreements and differing points of view and such. After all, if that’s how you really feel then no need to be ashamed or a one hit wonder. C’mon back and let’s discuss it. Tha’ts my hope anyhow. Nothing gets solved when you stomp away angry. That’s why I appreciate Shooter. He has come by and continued his views even when faced with opposition. Here in the final days, y’all need to understand. I think one way the industry has changed for the good is more and more artists want to be connected to their fans. I’d like Taylor Swift to stop by and say something. I’d really like Eric Church to express some of his views. You get the drift. I mean, we sit here and bash POP Country, and they sit there and say y’all are wrong, and nothing gets resolved. Let’s have a Real/POP debate. Blake can televise! After all, we still have freedom of speech, and cooler heads will always prevail. I kinda see it like a presidential debate. Colt Ford vs. Jayke Orvis. Mirada Lambert vs. Six Gunn Britt. Jason Aldean vs. Bob Wayne. Now that would be somethin’ to see 🙂
The Triggerman
November 7, 2011 @ 9:08 am
Unfortunately a lot of the great spirited debate that used to happen on this site was taken to an unhealthy level with the advent of “XXX”. This is yet another thing that idea has taken from us. As for huge pop stars debating on this site, my guess is they would find that beneath them, but with Eric Church’s “Country Music Jesus” song, and possibly Taylor Swift’s “Mean”, there might be a debate there by proxy.
FifthontheFloor
November 7, 2011 @ 10:51 am
It’s biased I know, but I wholeheartedly agree with your comments on Blake. I’ve spent a good bit of time with Blake in the past year, both working on our project and others, and there are few people that I’ve met in this industry who are as passionate about what they do as Blake is. In short, he’s one of the most “real” dudes out there.
And the motherfucker has hella memorabilia.
emfrank
November 7, 2011 @ 9:35 am
Interesting post. I agree, and youtube is a major source of new music for me. I have found some interesting new artists by following links from artists I like (though I wish the “suggested for you” list would understand I have no interest in Jason Aldean.) I am in an relatively isolated area, so I don’t always get to see artists live, and concert videos are the next best thing to get a sense of how an artist performs live. And so many artists in this genre do better live than on CD, I think. I much prefer a good quality live concert video to a themed video with the recorded version.
On a related note, I really appreciate radio stations and venues that regularly tape and post videos from small, intimate shows and interviews like Kink’s Bing Lounge series, Waterloo Records, Amoeba Records, NPR’s Tiny Desk series etc. Not all of these are great for traditional country, but do tend to include roots music in a broad sense. What sites do traditional country well?
The Triggerman
November 7, 2011 @ 11:12 am
There’s not many. Just like with what came up in the discussion about CD’s above, country music is woefully behind the technology curve. The main one that comes to mind is Music City Roots: http://musiccityroots.com/ . They broadcast some really cool live concerts every Wednesday night, really great live streaming audio and video, and if you miss it the sessions are archived.
Speaking of, this is something we hope to do much more of here with SCM LIVE. The point of setting that up was to do live broadcasts of concerts. Unfortunately time and budgetary restrictions have made it a little difficult, but this is a big priority of mine moving forward. We’re going to be broadcasting a concert this Friday night, and hope to have many more in the near future. The idea is, since this new country movement doesn’t have a geographic epicenter, we need to use technology to get everyone in one place, and highlight this music. I think in the future you could have scenarios where bands are playing in a bar to a crowd of 30 people, but 300 are watching online.
emfrank
November 7, 2011 @ 4:46 pm
It would be great to see this kind of thing here. I agree that this might be a way to draw in bigger crowds to house concerts and other small gigs. Wonder how you might find a way to “pass the hat” in a way that wouldn’t make people tune out?
Will have to check out Music Roots, and remember to tune in Friday. One thing I like about Youtube, though, is I can easily fit it to my schedule.
shawn tackett
November 8, 2011 @ 1:19 am
thanks guys this is very interesting discussion, glad I could bring some interesting points , to the table, and every one brings up good valid points and I also agree, that
down loads don’t sound as good as cds, and for the people on this website sho, do down load, hey, I don’t like it, but to each their own.. I just hope artists like hell bound glory, and those poor bastards, don’t forget about us fans who don’t down load, as was pointed out.
when saving country and XXX previewed the albums, and I heard them, I REALLY WANTED THEM, but there are no cd versions yet, and I hope they do release cds of these albums as posted above.
The Triggerman
November 8, 2011 @ 6:40 pm
Very interesting article just posted on NPR, asking if “The Real World” killed MTV.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2011/11/07/142101549/did-the-real-world-really-kill-mtv?sc=tw&cc=twmp