Half Term Work | By Jason

Prezi

Essay (“The impact of the internet on the media is revolutionary”)

In the last 10 to 20 years the the impact of the internet has changed the way we gather information around the world by enabling each of us to use it more than just a way of finding out a piece of information. It has become everything and anything to which the worldwide population can connect, share, and create there own information to then be expanded upon and talked about with other users.  Convergence with all areas of media have rapidly enhanced the way we live and socialise as a civilisation. For example, the monstrosities of the web such as Google, Amazon, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and eBay have monopolised how we purchase, view, listen, interact and search the internet.

My two main topic areas to which i have researched are Video Games And Music. The two draw upon three media concepts (The long Tail, Web 2.0, and the Prosumer) all of which make up the revolutionary internet as we know it today.

Music

Firstly, The music industry. The internet has shifted the way users buy, listen and watch music. If you type into google a popular chart track, you a very much likely to find google places its Music video at the top of the listings. This takes you to the world renowned 6 billion viewed a day Youtube Website. Here music has blossomed to such an iconic figure in the online age, it has completely changed the majority of the generations way of enjoying music from areas around the world you never would have known about, if the existence of Web 2.0 and the long tail theory. More specialifcly the long tail theory has taken upon the idea that lots of small upcoming unknown music artists together make up the majority of the total revenue made in the music industry and dominate the direction music goes in. Youtube has given the Consumer the ability to become a Prosumer by users creating there own Videos, sharing, editing, commenting and interacting with other users with the same ideas and genre content. My case study On UKF Music takes upon the three concepts displaying how it has impacted the internet and revolutionized the way we enjoy music. 

UKF Music was set up in 2009 by Luke Hood, a University Student who studied at Bristol Uni. Luke Hood created his Youtube Channel UKF to share music with friends while studying in 2009. As his subscriber base began to grow, he started to focus on the music channels and expanding the UKF brand. UKF never paid for advertising, relying on its subscribers to share the music through various social media sites. (Convergence) The brand has since sold half of its ownership to AEI Media who produce original content, hosts live events, and helps develop artists and brands.

Luke began his Youtube journey as a consumer of music, eventually becoming a prosumer to which he began his channels UKF Drum & Bass and UKF Dubstep. He uploaded various unknown  upcoming artists with fresh new styles targeted for a fairly small market, as Electronic music was still emerging into mainstream charts. Together this combination of the Long tail and Prosumer, many upcoming artists had the opportunity to advertise there own content on one main genre Youtube channel, which videoed music. This opened the doors to the foundations of web interaction, Web 2.0 which spread music through social media sites. For example, the convergence with Sharing your Youtube Video with friends on Facebook, and Followers on Twitter. A Great, cheap, marketing tool, especially for upcoming music artists. This is how UKF managed to Succeed so well in making the UKF channel more than just a viewing platform, it becomes a Brand, Name to which users connect with on the web.

Continuing on the music industry track, Spotify has become the next revolutionary commercial music streaming service providing, content from a range of major and independent record labels, including Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal. Spotify Began in 2006, founded by Daniel Ek, former CTO of Stardoll, and Martin Lorentzon, co-founder of TradeDoubler.  The Spotify application was launched for public access in late 2008. While free accounts remained available by invitation only. The business vision changed fiercely through 2008, to present with the idea being prosecuted due to the worldwide problem of 'free music downloading'. However spotify did not offer free downloads, but instead unlimited streaming of a particular song, which in effect almost acted the same as what free downloads did anyway. In early 2011 Spotify Free members would be transferred to a new product which limited audio streaming to 10 hours per month. This kept record labels slightly more happier than the service before, as criticism towards artists not getting the revenues from the amount of download streams which spotify generates, became a big problem for up coming and mainstream artists needing the revenue to make a career. 

In late 2011, spotify was becoming a huge hit, with over one million paying subscribers across Europe, generating revenue of €10 million per month in revenue. With the secruity of Spotify being a huge sucess on desktop PC', it was time to enter the Mobile App Market.  The applications allow Premium subscribers to access the full music catalogue, stream music and even listen to music when disconnected using the Offline Mode.

Video Games

The video games industry is monumental. With the market in 2009 worth over 10.5 billion Dollars and the average gamer spending 8 hours a week playing it sure isnt a medium which is likely to decline, even though being one of the oldest types of media. Video Games have rapidly developed and evolved in the past 10 to 15 years, with graphics, consoles, wireless connection, online multiplayer, and mobile games taking gaming to new exciting places. 

My First case study in this area is Angry Birds. A fairly recent game, which has become the biggest selling video game of all time in the App market. Angry Birds was developed in 2003 by three university students who produced small console games alongside there university life and after. 51 games were produced before the development of angry birds, and all were fairly successful, but no where near to the success of Angry Birds. What made the game so successful was simply the idea, design, and simplicity of something which wasn't on the market at the time, nor as well polished and thought through as other mobile games. It had a strong character base, humour and a click, ease about it that anyone could easily play the game and instantly find it fun. As the Game began to generate more downloads Rovio saw this product as being something more than just a game. It could become a Brand. And this is what media now days is trying to achieve. Becoming something which is talked about, and commercialised in other areas of media not just in one.