Online Music Videos: A Marriage of Sound, Images and Interactivity

For a laugh (or two), check out The Arcade Fire’s music video from Neon Bible, the indie band’s new album. Featuring shots of singer Win Butler's head and hands on a black background, the clip could set the stage for more customized music videos in the near future.

Reuters reports that “in Arcade Fire's case, the decision to make a Web-functional video was a matter of technological forward thinking.”

"Traditional videos are mostly viewed on YouTube now," says creator Vincent Morisset, who also develops the band's Web sites. "I thought, 'Why spend $200,000 on a production and finish with this tiny pixilated thing? Since it will end up on a computer, let's take advantage of the possibilities that medium offers."

The move made sense for an indie-label band (Merge Records) that built its fan base largely on the viral power of the Internet. For a total production cost of about $15,000, Arcade Fire reinforced its image as a cutting-edge act by engaging its indie-minded fans in new and interesting ways.”

I wonder why it took so long for people to realize the Internet's potential for delivering music to every man, woman and YouTube-addicted teenager. The ability to unite sound, images and interactivity will make music videos so much more compelling. I’m a big fan of MTVs and I’m truly excited by the prospect of controlling my watching experience. After all, conventional music videos can be viewed at countless sites on the Net, but they are not much more than television programs shown on the computer screen. Although the Arcade Fire video has its limitations (okay, the hand-flipping motions are quite basic), at least it turns a passive viewing experience into an interactive, often entertaining one.

The Reuters story adds: “Bristol, U.K.-based interactive media firm Coull is making clickable clips accessible for virtually anyone. November 19 marks the official launch of coull.tv, a YouTube-like site that enables users to convert any traditional video to an interactive format and publish it for free. A beta version of the site has hosted clickable concert footage by Kylie Minogue and U2, among others, for several months, pioneering interactive video as a medium for sharing and promoting music."

In the United Kingdom, major labels have experimented with interactive video strategies for mainstream pop acts for the past few years. RCA Label Group (U.K.) created a "personalized video experience" to promote the Simon Cowell-created group Westlife's cover of "The Rose" from 2006's "The Love Album." Made interactive by "responsive advertising" firm 20:20 London, the video, parked at mywestlife.com, begins with a screen where users plug in their first and last name. During the wedding-themed video that follows, users' monikers pop up on stationery and in text messages as if they are part of the plot.

"Videos made specifically for the Internet are catching on, because they really get fans engaged," says Londoner Marc Connor, who manages Canadian opera crossover act RyanDan.
The "reactive video" for the duo's single, "Like the Sun," appeared on ryandan.com in September. Unlike Arcade Fire's video, which allows users to control the action, the RyanDan clip utilizes embedded hyperlinks and text boxes offering information, forums, sharing features and even online shopping. Clicking the images brings up a separate screen where users can join a discussion about the object or scene they clicked (in this case, either Ryan or Dan).

Produced in partnership with Universal Music Group's U.K. arm and Coull, the RyanDan video demonstrates how the medium is changing from a nebulous promotional tool to a portal that actively links fans to revenue streams. "The realization that you can just click on a video and it takes you somewhere is huge," Coull CEO Irfon Watkins says. "It can lead users to merchandise, tickets and anything else the artist or label wants to sell."