Here We Go Again: Music Videos After YouTube

Maura Edmond

At the start of the 2000s there were dire predictions about the future of music videos. Faced with falling industry profits, ballooning production costs, and music television stations that cared more about ratings, music videos no longer enjoyed the industry support they once had. But as music videos were being sidelined by the music and television industries, they were rapidly becoming integral to online video aggregates and social media sites. The "days of the $600,000 video" might be gone, but in recent years, a new music video culture and economy has emerged. Exploring how music videos are being used, how they are being made, and how money is being made from them, the article not only documents the impact that digital convergence has had on music videos but it also describes the lingering role that older music and media industry paradigms might play in shaping the future of online video.