Detroit and Ann Arbor Performing Arts

Music videos have transformed immensely since the short films that emerged in the 1920s as the world’s first music videos, and even since popular music video channel, MTV’s very first: Video Killed the Radio Star.

 

The importance of music videos, however have remained. In an interview she took part in for podcast, “The Future of What,” director/producer, Alicia J. Rose, emphasizes the importance of music’s visual component.

Without it, how well would we remember Take On Me?

Thriller?

How popular would this Beyonce song have been?

So far, the transformation of music videos has come mostly in the form of visual and audio quality enhancement, as well as upgraded recording equipment and new camera techniques. Today, music video creators are attempting to break boundaries that have never before been broken. One such boundary is that of a fourth wall between the video and the video’s audience. Creators are now trying to involve the audience on another level.

Producers are beginning to experiment with virtual reality music videos, including fully interactive videos and 360 degree videos. We all know that no form of popular culture can remain stagnant for any extensive length of time, and this does not exclude music videos. Creators recognize that ground-breaking changes are necessary in order to keep up with an ever-changing technological world and its ever-adapting and yearning-for-more population. No technology or art form can remain in the past while its counterparts zoom forward.

Bob Dylan was one of the first to release an interactive music video. His video was made for his 1965 classic, Like a Rolling Stone. The video depicts a fake television box on which audience members can flip through fake channels at their will, and find different characters lip-synching the song. This was revolutionary in the way that it took an age-old classic and renovated it with a futuristic twist that most modern artists have not yet experimented with.

Singer, Trey Songz, wowed the R&B scene with his release of the Touchin Lovin’ music video,  an interactive video that allows the viewer to decide how the video’s storyline will proceed and, as he puts it, “explore Trey’s fantasies.”

Popular DJ, record producer, and remixer, David Guetta, has attempted to take music video innovation a step further by releasing the world’s first double screen music video. For this experience, an audience member is prompted to connect their smartphone to their computer by going to the web address: dg.lc, and entering the code given to them on the device with which they originally found the content. The user must place their smartphone up to their computer screen, aligning it with the outline of a smartphone on the screen, and adjusting the size with corresponding arrows. After accomplishing this and pressing play, the experience begins. Throughout the video, the smartphone acts as either an extension of the music video, or a different perspective of the same scene occurring on the computer screen. At one point, the user will even receive a Facetime call from David Guetta, which looks incredibly realistic. For a split second, I really thought that David Guetta was calling me, and began to reach for the answer button. This just goes to show how immersive virtual reality techniques like this are. I believe that this is the effectiveness that producers are going for with content like this.

Iggy Azalea even created the world’s first interactive shoppable video, in which audience members can click on the different looks dawned by characters within the music video, and immediately purchase their clothing. Simply click on the “S” that appears on the various articles of clothing.

Everyone is trying to create something new, something revolutionary, something that will immediately attract the full attention of an intrigued audience.

We are even beginning to see holographic music videos. David Gahan and Soulsavers were the first to debut one. Their video, entitled, “All Of This And Nothing,” is best viewed on a smartphone or tablet, with a clear pyramid placed on top of the screen.

Watch here. And learn how to make your own hologram viewer here.

“In a time when music videos continue to be tiresomely filled with female objectification and equally prominent product placement, this simple interactive experience is a refreshing change,” says Natalie Robehmed, journalist for Forbes, in her article on rapper Azealia Banks’s recently released webcam based, interactive music video. Aside from the technological/innovative aspect of these new techniques, interactive music videos will perhaps provide audience members with a realm of entertainment that replaces that offered by the objectification of women. 

I interviewed an active member of the music video industry, to gain some insight on what the implications of these new technologies are, and what the future of music videos looks like. A Michigan native, music video producer, Josh Sikkema, began working with Detroit and Grand Rapids artists, and has worked his way up to bigger names. Currently residing in Los Angeles California, Josh has filmed, directed and edited for countless bands and individual artists. He is now on a European tour with artist, Luke Christopher. This interview was conducted while he was beginning his day on a balcony in Norway.

 

While 360 degree music videos are fun to watch and beneficial to an audience’s experience in various ways, Josh does not see them as something that will take hold as a staple technique for music video production. Unlike fully interactive music videos, however, one can experience the full effects of 360 degree music videos on YouTube.

 

On the topic of virtual reality music videos in general, Josh emphasizes the importance of connecting with the fans. Of course, one effective way to do this for music videos is by implementing virtual reality aspects onto the videos. This allows the audience to connect with the music video in a brand new way. It is an entirely new experience.

Katelyn Torres: “So, what do you see for the future of music videos from here on out?”

Josh Sikkema: “I think you’re going to see them get a lot more personal. Everything is pushing toward connecting with the fan”

As music video techniques progress, it will be interesting to see if YouTube adds more interactive features to its design. As of right now, virtual reality music videos are not available to fully experience on YouTube, and must be viewed and interacted with elsewhere. The availability of these features on YouTube would be convenient for both YouTube itself and music video audience members, as the videos could be consolidated in the one place that people go for the majority of their music video viewing.

Perhaps it is safe to predict that a next step in music video progression will be more holographic music videos. This could be epecially popular for videos involving artists that have passed away: legends like Notorious B.I.G., Selena, Michael Jackson, etc. It seems that with each advancement, we are moving toward a music video experience that is more “real” to its audience. The goal is to get the audience as immersed as possible. The question is, would techniques like these entirely obliterate any other form of music video, making it so that audience members feel bored watching the “old,” “flat” videos? Or would these techniques be viewed as pointless and never even make a mark on the industry?

Tweets regarding the matter seem to suggest the former. Even Google Play is getting in on the action.

I predict that the majority of audience members will remain faithful to original music video form for a while, as long as video and audio quality continue to advance. Despite the effort being made to create a real, interactive experience for music video audience members, most audience members probably enjoy passively viewing a video, without having to exert much effort toward their experience. However, I could see holographic music videos being extremely popular for particular occasions like parties, popular nightclubs or award ceremonies. Virtual reality music videos may enhance an artist’s career for a few moments, allowing them to gain exposure and recognition for being with, or ahead of, the times, however it is difficult to say whether they will ever fully take the place of simple, non-interactive videos.

Whether news sites, Buzzfeed and Gawker, are saving or killing the news industry, has been a point of much contention since their popularity began to skyrocket in the early 2000’s.

My stance is that they are doing more good than harm, and that they are helping to save the news industry.

Ask any teen, twenty-something or thirty-something social media user if they’ve ever seen a listicle, and I guarantee your list of no’s will be miniscule. Listicles are just one technique that Buzzfeed has implemented in order to attract a larger audience, and specifically to appeal to young adult generations.

It is a well-known modern-day fact that almost no one reads ALL of anything. However when a listicle catches the attention of an internet-user with its specifically numbered title, for example, 34 Times a Cat Depicted Your Life Perfectly, that user will more than likely go through all 34 cat items/photographs on that list. Listicles are not unique to cat stories and what some may deem pointless entertainment. They have also been used to convey political messages, such as in 18 Things Donald Trump has 100% Actually Said, and 7 Things Hillary Clinton Has In Common With Your Abuela. A reader who goes through these lists will definitely learn a thing or two about the candidate in question, thus perhaps adding to their political awareness. One might argue that these listicles are bias, or fail to provide real news and important facts. However even if this is true, this exposure may prompt further research by the reader into political candidates, the issues, etc. This is important. Especially when speaking about America’s youth.

Listicles such as these allow readers to “list snack,” if you will. Modern day news consumers do not want to read pages of texts. They would rather have the information spewed at them in quick, short bursts. This is just what the listicle does. Thus leaving the reader perhaps more informed than a traditional news article would.

Even the implementation of Buzzfeed quizzes such as Which GOP President Are You? provides readers with an entertaining way to help them better understand their own political ideologies, thus aiding them in their November 2016 decision.

Even though Gawker bashed Buzzfeed for being untrustworthy in a fairly recent article, Gawker implements a similar, enticing approach. Their blog-like news story style, complete with gifs and often-colloquial, engaging titles, attracts a younger audience, as well as a huge chunk of news consumers who want quick information.

 

These two sources understand the future of media. Buzzfeed founder, Jonah Peretti, speaks on this in an interview with Fortune Magazine:

 

 

Buzzfeed and Gawker are keeping up with the fast paced, ever-transforming technological world in which we live. This is something that others within the news industry have somewhat failed to do. This is why Buzzfeed and Gawker are helping to keep this industry alive. They understand their transforming audience and they work to mold to their desires and their needs.

Born Calvin Cortazar Broadus, you know him as Snoop Dogg (or maybe Snoop Lion) and you probably love him for his music, his acting, the carefree attitude that shines through his lyrics and his unapologetic rants on his social media, or one of the other million things that makes Snoop Dogg, Snoop Dogg.

Snoop was born in Long Beach, California, and got his nickname from his mother, who thought that he looked like the dog from the Peanuts cartoon. After high school, he often found himself tangled up in legal issues, being arrested several times for possession of drugs. Music became an escape from the harshness of his reality. Snoop’s career in the music industry began upon his introduction to famous rapper and producer, Dr. Dre, who he met through his friend, another well-known rapper, Warren G. His first album entitled, Doggystyle, came out in 1993 and eventually found itself at the very top of Billboard’s hip-hop and Top 200 charts. Producing hit after hit, Snoop Dogg’s success in the industry was not short-lived.

It did not come as much of a shock to the public when the eccentric rapper announced that he was working on his first reggae project in 2012. The project was entitled, Reincarnation, and somewhere along its creation process Snoop Dogg became
inspired to change his name to Snoop Lion. It is said that this was the result of a meeting he had with a Jamaican priest while in Jamaica to work on the project. The priest moved him with his words, telling him, “You are the light; you are the lion.” The name did not stick.

 

The multi-talent has been known to stir up feelings with his intrepid comments and videos. He rarely seems to shy away from expressing his opinions on certain matters.

Whether that means offending Iggy Azalea and igniting Twitter backlash

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Or criticizing the Oscars for its lack of diversity (warning: explicit language)

Throughout his career, Snoop has strived to be a Jack of all trades, if you will, and so it is not surprising that he has recently taken up podcasting. His podcasts can be found on both iTunes and SoundCloud. He describes his show as a “smoked out session rolled tightly into podcast form that features me choppin’ game with and doin’ full-length interviews with a who’s who from the entertainment world.” Snoop has interviewed everyone from The Trailer Park Boys to Larry King and anything in between. He focuses a great deal of time on music, and artists currently in the music industry, as that was his first love.

The great thing about Snoop’s podcasts is that he is unapologetically himself. His journalistic style leaves no question unanswered, making for entertaining and intriguing segments, and attracting a vast audience. “[We] speak on everything related to pop culture,” he says.

 

“Podcast Answer Man,” Cliff J. Ravenscraft discusses Snoop’s new venture on his own podcast. “This guy has probably a following, that if he were to introduce the world of podcasting [to them] it would make a significant impact in the mainstream.” Perhaps Snoop’s leap into the world of podcasting will further popularize this communication avenue.

Just like his Oscars rant, Snoop brings up important issues in his interviews and reports that others may be more cautious in bringing up. Though his discussions are often explicit, they have an element of realness that other news stories lack. He discusses transforming the lives of underprivileged children through education opportunities with rapper, Will.I.Am, and the possible benefits of medicinal marijuana for cancer patients with singer, Jhene Aiko, whose brother suffered through the disease. His raw style keeps his audience engaged and well-informed.

Snoop Dogg has made a wide range of moves in his career, beginning as a performer in the music industry, and now reporting on the music industry (among other topics), and taking all sorts of other chances along the way. I will be following him as he embarks on his new journey into the journalism world, and it will be fascinating to see what he gets into next.

Unbeknownst to many, the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is home to one of the best recording studios in North America. Located at the Duderstadt Center, the studio was entirely renovated during the summer of 2015. Taking up about 1800 square feet, the studio is complete with a control room, a main recording room, an isolation booth, machine rooms and a storage closet.

Probably the most profound addition that was made during the studio’s renovation was its new 40-channel, API Vision analog surround sound mixing and recording console. David Greenspan, coordinator of audio resources at the Duderstadt Center, says that “Using an analog console is a more effective teaching tool than a digital console because the layout is easier for students to learn the fundamentals of audio signal flow.”

With the popularization of Blu-ray and HD streaming, surround sound mixing and recording is gaining popularity as well. Never before has an audience been able to experience sound in such an immersive way. Surround sound recording is a technique that enriches the quality of sound by adding audio channels to provide sound from a 360-degree radius on a horizontal plane. This is in place of “screen channels” which only provide sound from the listener’s front left, front right, and center.

Surround sound is actually characterized by the location of the listener, also known as the “sweet spot.” This is the spot where the surround sound effects work best.

By using multiple discrete audio channels, the surround sound technique exploits sound localization, or, a listener’s ability to detect the origin of a sound. This will enhance that listener’s perception of sound spatialization.

There have also been major advances in Digital Audio storage, like DSD Recording, SACD and DVD Audio. These advances are digital disruptions themselves, and they require a new level of performance from the equipment used to create audio masters. The API Vision surround sound mixing and recording console has he ability to perform at this new level, therefore responding to the technological advances in storage.

This technology has changed the way those in the music industry construct and record their music. Another device that has transformed the music industry is SoundCloud. SoundCloud has provided a new platform for music distribution, and its popularity has skyrocketed since its launch in 2007. The platform breaks barriers, creating a sort of a global musical village. One can share his or her music from nearly anywhere to nearly anywhere across the globe. This is especially important for artists that do not live in a community with a thriving music industry; artists living in Ann Arbor, for example. Now, students can reserve time in the University of Michigan audio studio and record their music using the API Vision console, then easily upload to SoundCloud. From there, the options for that music’s next destination are endless.

“…digital protocols change, and I couldn’t promise the provost that a digital console we installed today would still be relevant twenty years from now. With an analog heart, we can be flexible and stay current with the evolving digital technologies that surround it,” says Greenspan, bearing digital disruption in mind.

It is difficult to say what the future holds for audio recording techniques and technology. I predict that sound quality will continue to evolve as it has for years, until it reaches a point at which the only way to distinguish recorded sound from reality, will be the quality. And the recorded sound will be better than reality. Perhaps surround sound will eventually be able to reach not only 360-degrees on a horizontal plane, but on a vertical plane as well. As Digital Audio Storage techniques advance, equipment like the API Vision console will evolve as well, as it has no other choice. With all of these evolutions, audio recording/mixing will become quicker, easier, and the sound will be richer than ever. 

With its new API Vision console, and all of its other recent amenities, the University of Michigan’s audio studio caters to and beyond the needs of those who wish to record and distribute their music. Its new technologies have responded to the advances in audio recording and to the digital disruptions within the music industry. Those with access the studio are very fortunate and should take advantage of the opportunity while they can. Read more about it on the university’s website, and begin taking the necessary steps to become certified to use the studio here.

 

 

Detroit dancer, Kitwana Clark, travels to Los Angeles, California to embark on his journey toward a professional dance career. The following series of photographs provides a glimpse into his first day exploring Hollywood Boulevard, from the time he wakes up to the moment when all of his energy has finally been depleted. The day is complete with a stroll along the Hollywood Walk of Fame, some barbershop experimentation, slushie stops, and of course a few impromptu dance sessions.

portrait (above)

Josh.

Check out my interview with Gary King, junior at the University of Michigan and active participant in Ann Arbor’s underground music scene: