When MTV went on the air 25 years ago, the first video to run was "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. MTV did just that, ushering in a new way for teens to get their daily dose of hits. But the dominance of MTV and other music-centered television stations may be coming to a close.
More music fans than ever are turning to the Internet for their music videos as a slew of video-sharing websites has emerged. Heading the pack is YouTube, launched in 2005 and currently holding more than 60 percent of the online video market, according to its website.
A large part of YouTube's appeal stems from the sheer number of videos the site hosts. Currently it plays more than 100 million clips and users upload 65,000 videos daily.
"It's the best because of the massive amount of material on there, and it's a valuable teaching tool," said Marc Faris, visiting assistant professor of music. "I teach a lot of courses on popular music. On YouTube I can find a lot of obscure music that might be difficult to find otherwise."
Students voiced similar opinions about the site.
"I like having the ability to watch such a multitude of things whenever I want, and the variety is unparalleled," said senior Ian Holljes, a guitarist and songwriter who has also used the website to publicize his music.
YouTube, like its more established cousin MySpace, is quickly becoming a hot spot for up-and-coming bands looking to promote themselves. For example, Holljes uploads videos of his band, Running Lights, to the site.
"As a conduit for new music and artists [YouTube] seems pretty limitless," Faris said. "For college students used to the Web as a primary source of information, it's really invaluable."
Holljes, however, is more dubious about YouTube's potential for promoting new artists.
"It's an extremely convenient way to make your music available," Holljes said. "But unless you're fairly established, you don't get huge amounts of exposure. At this point YouTube is more of a reflection of how popular you are than [a means of] attracting many more listeners."
Yet YouTube's appeal to music lovers reaches beyond its millions of clips of both popular and emerging musicians. The site also allows users to post their homemade music videos.
Patrick Musker, a senior, is one of these amateur music video directors. He recently posted a short claymation video he created, set to Donovan's "Colours."
"I started shooting the video before I picked the music," Musker said. "I needed something that matched the whimsical tone of the video and was soothing musically and a little psychedelic. So I picked 'Colours.'"
Like many emerging musicians, Musker sees the site as a way to promote his endeavors and mature as an artist.
"It's a good way for people who don't know me personally to critique and comment on my work," Musker said. "Hopefully it will help me get my name out there and maybe even by chance [I will] get offered a job."
Yet the question remains: can YouTube kill the video star? In other words, can YouTube eventually overshadow MTV as the dominant outlet for music videos?
"I don't think it will surpass MTV in terms of prominence," said Robert Mitchell, an assistant professor of English who has published several works relating to digital media.
"Many videos on YouTube are interesting but don't have a large amount of production," he explained. "MTV videos have high amounts of production."
Holljes agreed, pointing out that YouTube's massive selection of videos may also be a drawback.
"People like to have popular music displayed for them instead of having to pull it out," he said. "YouTube has a glut of information so people are more likely to be overwhelmed."
Some, though, are a little more optimistic about YouTube's chances to pull ahead in the race.
"It is a little bit difficult finding things," Faris said. "The amount of material is both a blessing and a curse. But I would say YouTube has already surpassed MTV to a lot of people in terms of diversity of what you can find and not being limited by formatting decisions in advance. It's like surfing through your own channel of music videos."
YouTube's bid to be the online MTV has accelerated in the past few weeks. Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion Oct. 9. In the weeks leading up to the sale, Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group each negotiated to buy small shares in the site.
With YouTube's new alignment with big media sealed, the site's future aspirations are unclear. But one thing is certain-video-sharing sites are here to stay, whether they kill the video star or not.
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