There are many things that draw people to music artists. The
music (obviously), concerts, videos, and merchandise are all part of the
equation. In this world of over 7 billion people, however, it is hard to think
of a group as more than an unreachable, faraway icon. The way to erase that
gap, to include the audience, and to do it safely, is by means of making the
fans part of the final product. Maroon 5 in 2012 created a music video that
consisted solely of video clips made by fans across the world, with the purpose
of letting people express their feelings and desires related to the song “Daylight”.
This video, and other media of the same nature from other artists, is what makes
an artist famous. When a group reaches out to the audience and brings them in,
and then shows that to the world, greatness is made.
“Maroon 5- Daylight” (the official name of the video on
YouTube), is not the most popular video by the standard of digital views. In
fact, in the Maroon5 VEVO channel it is ranked 26 and lacks about 1.4 billion
views. This video doesn’t offer a cinematically beautiful or masterfully edited
series of shots. The thing that this video does offer, however, is a chance for
people to connect with the music. People, within the video, react to the words
and the notes, confiding in us, the second audience, about their likes,
dislikes, fears, and dreams. We see clips of love, emotional challenges,
family, and success. Pictures are shown, crushes are confided, emotions are
expressed, and hopes are illustrated through drawings and notes. Maroon 5
sacrifices the opportunity for a more traditional style music video to let
these fans express their stories.
To everyone in the world, relationships are based on people
communicating with each other through a two-way channel. Just as the college
teacher who preaches to us for 2 hours every other day for 4 months is
infinitely less memorable than the one who knows our name, the same applies to
the artists we listen to. When we are given the chance to give something back,
to reflect a little bit of what we have been given, that’s when a relationship
is made. For artists looking for more people to listen to their music
consistently, it is worth the effort to create die-hard fans who feel like they
are connected somehow. “Maroon 5- Daylight” creates that relationship with
hundreds of people, and extends that reach to even more who see the unique,
intimate connections expressed in the video.
But, I mean, why does this kind of media matter to the big
shots? Why sacrifice millions of views (that equals relationships right?) on a music
video for something that doesn’t include the glitz and polish of professionally
made videos when you could do it another way? Personal tweets, VIP concert
experiences, and even fan letters create those relationships, but they don’t
let the world know. I submit that there is absolutely nothing that can
supplement the act of an artist intentionally creating publicly available media
that shows interactions with fans. Whether this is print, audio, or video media
doesn’t matter; what matters is that it is there for the world to see.
Now, to do this successfully there are no halfsies; no one
foot in, one foot out. To create and share that vulnerability is something that
requires a conscious effort, a decision to say “I do”, in a way. Artists can give
attention to people in moments of solitude and retreat later behind the wall of
press perfection, but that doesn’t change the people. That just produces the “I
will never wash this hand again” scenario where the one person is joyful and
everyone else is grossed out at the girl with One Direction temporary tattoos all
over her arms. The artists that we remember through the ages, not just until
their songs go off the radio, are those that create situations where we know
and empathize with both hands that
touch.
With this new age of increasing technological capabilities
and evolving music and video streaming platforms, artists have more ability
than ever to make their name immortal in the hearts and lives of their
audiences. The talent is there, and the means of communicating with thousands
and millions of people in intimate ways exists! Maroon 5 did it with a 9-minute
music video, Taylor Swift did it by playing Santa, and Ben Rector did it by
dancing in his living room and going to Six Flags. This may just turn out to be
a shout out to these artists, as we are but merely students trying to make it
through a semester of college, but I’d like to hope that our continued support
of these legendary faces who care about us
will motivate them to one day, with something, touch the hearts of everyone in
the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment