Live performances such as these illustrate how social media is transforming every aspect of the entertainment industry from promotion, to distribution, and even retail. With the widespread adoption of these platforms by consumers and the low barrier of entry (cost, labor, etc.), it seems like many artists these days are able to completely cut out the middlemen (record producers, agents, etc.). I wonder what this will ultimately mean for the entertainment industry. Will the majority of artists stop hiring these agents and use social media to manage the content themselves? Or, perhaps, will there be a growth in agencies that specialize in social media content management? Will YouTube, MySpace, Twitter and other social media platforms also starting sponsoring live performances? I suspect that that the answer is “yes” to all of these questions, and the real question we should be asking is "when?"
Friday, June 12, 2009
MySpace and YouTube Artists Coming To A Venue Near You
I was reminded of Hannah ‘s comment about how Etsy (the “Amazon” of the craft world) had recently gone from being just a “clicks” business to also being a “bricks” one by providing in-person craft lessons at its Brooklyn location last night. I was looking through this week’s Time Out New York when I found listings for live performance by two different Internet sensations. The first of these listings was for a standup comedy show featuring a “MySpace Comedian” named Owen Benjamin 5. From the listing, I was able to gather that MySpace regularly showcases different performers and that this was part of a series. I assume that MySpace is probably getting a cut of the profits and is probably doing these kinds of shows in other cities around the country. The second listing was billed as a live musical performance by a “YouTube Sensation” (unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the ad to provide more details) and appeared to be something that the artist had organized/ done promotion by himself.
Live performances such as these illustrate how social media is transforming every aspect of the entertainment industry from promotion, to distribution, and even retail. With the widespread adoption of these platforms by consumers and the low barrier of entry (cost, labor, etc.), it seems like many artists these days are able to completely cut out the middlemen (record producers, agents, etc.). I wonder what this will ultimately mean for the entertainment industry. Will the majority of artists stop hiring these agents and use social media to manage the content themselves? Or, perhaps, will there be a growth in agencies that specialize in social media content management? Will YouTube, MySpace, Twitter and other social media platforms also starting sponsoring live performances? I suspect that that the answer is “yes” to all of these questions, and the real question we should be asking is "when?"
Live performances such as these illustrate how social media is transforming every aspect of the entertainment industry from promotion, to distribution, and even retail. With the widespread adoption of these platforms by consumers and the low barrier of entry (cost, labor, etc.), it seems like many artists these days are able to completely cut out the middlemen (record producers, agents, etc.). I wonder what this will ultimately mean for the entertainment industry. Will the majority of artists stop hiring these agents and use social media to manage the content themselves? Or, perhaps, will there be a growth in agencies that specialize in social media content management? Will YouTube, MySpace, Twitter and other social media platforms also starting sponsoring live performances? I suspect that that the answer is “yes” to all of these questions, and the real question we should be asking is "when?"
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