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Media-Intermediation & Careers on YouTube

How Musicians get Empowered in Post-

Industrial Media-Economies

Lorenz Grünewald, M.A.

Franscisco Bernardo, M.A.

Joachim Haupt, M.A.

AGENDA

1

2

3

4

Networked CultureYouTubers | Culture | Economy

Re-IntermediationIntermediaries | Multi-Channel Networks | Model

Media-Intermediation?Freedom | Empowerment

OutlookHow to go on?

1 Networked CultureYouTubers | Culture | Economy

Trends”Youtube-Stars“

gaining relevance

Commercials for YouTube channels in New York Source: private

Youtuber Object of research and research method

FocusYoutuber Germany Musicians

MethodsIn-depth interviews Exploratory approach Grounded Theory Qualitative content analysis

QuestionsHow do musicians on Youtube form anew kind of networked music culture and how is it shaped? How do they build their careers?

Friendship

Relationships

Collaboration

Networking

Cultu

ral Social

Economic

Referencing Cameos

Collaboratie Shows Parodies

Features ‚Memes‘

„Cross-Promotion“

Increasing Attention Attention-Economy

Sharing Knowledge (e.g. monetization) Rationalization Intermediation

Youtube’s “Common Culture“ as a networked culture with social, cultural and economic implications

[T]hrough their participation and ways in which other YouTubers engage with them, a sense of YouTube’s “common culture” is created. It is above all this embeddedness […] that marks out the difference between the practices of the “entrepreneurial vloggers” and most mainstream media uses of YouTube.

“

Burgess & Green (2009):The Entrepreneurial Vlogger: Participatory Culture Beyond the Professional-Amateur Divide, p. 30

2 IntermediationIntermediaries | Multi-Channel Networks | Model

Intermediaries…offer services between two parties

Artist Record Company Distributor Retailer Fan

Intermediaries

Dis-IntermediationThrough digitally networked media

Artist Fan

YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook

TrendsYouTube

Partner and Multi Channel

Networks (MCN)

Ranking of the top 10 YouTube partners according to their unique viewers in Sep. 2013 (in Mio. in GER) | Source: comScore / Statista 2014

YouTube Partner

Programme:

“more than a million creators

from over 30 countries“ |

“Thousands of chanels are

making six figures a year“ |

Source: Youtube 2014

+

Multi Channel Networks (MCN)What are those?

Companies with economic interest Collect and Administrate YouTube(r’s) Channels Locked into Content-ID (Tracking and Blocking Content) Attract Advertisers Earn Revenue from Advertising Empower and Connect YouTubers

AwesomenessTV

Maker Studios

Dreamworks

Disney $$$

Multi Channel Networks (MCN)What are those?

Companies with economic interest Collect and Administrate YouTube(r’s) Channels Locked into Content-ID (Tracking and Blocking Content) Attract Advertisers Earn Revenue from Advertising Empower and Connect YouTubers

AwesomenessTV

Maker Studios

Dreamworks

Disney $$$

Re-Intermediation…?Through digitally networked media

ArtistFan

YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook

MCN

???Artist

Artist

Artist

3 Media Intermediation and Intermediation MediaFreedom | Empowerment

Our findings suggest s.th. different…Something like Media-Intermediation

Dis-IntermediationThrough digitally networked media

Artist Fan

YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook

Media-Mediation?Through digitally networked media

Artist FanYouTube

Media-Intermediation

YouTube’s “Scope“Empowerment Through Digitally Networked Mediation Media

YouTubeYouTube

The possibility to plan viral [video] was gradually scaled back. With just one video you have fewer and fewer influence on how many people get to see your video. Some people talk of conspiracies. (YouTube Musician in an interview)

“SCOPE

YouTube? SoundCloud?

Bandcamp?

What do MCN do?Empowerment and Rationalisation

YouTubeYouTube

Systematic ‚Cross-Promotion‘ Dealing with legal issues (strikes) Getting licences Coaching (Format Development, Channel & Profile Building) Studios & Equipment Relationships w/ YouTube

SCOPE

MCNs influence YouTube’s Scopein social, cultural and economic respects

MCNArtist

Artist

Artist

Label

YouTubeYouTube

SCOPE

What do MCN do?Quotations from our interviews

Today nothing really works without a network. If you wanna get support and you contact Google without being in a network, you can wait for two month until you will get a reply. And if you are part of a network you will be served more quickly.

“Selected network partners will be placed on the homepage in cooperation with YouTube. [Or] you can get special permissions like for music that would otherwise not be displayed because of the GEMA but it is unlocked for such a purpose.

“

YouTube

It’s about the scopeAnd about increasing it through empowerment

Artist FanYouTube

Media-Intermediation

MCN

4 OutlookHow to go on?

We’re not there yet…Networked Empowerment or Re-Intermediation?

Artist Fan

MCN

MCN FanYouTube?YouTube

Artist

Thank You!Lorenz Grünewald, M.A.

Franscisco Bernardo, M.A.

Joachim Haupt, M.A.

@lorenzguitar

@franxico

@joachimhaupt

Extra!Joachim Haupt, M.A.

Lorenz Grünewald, M.A.

AuswahlYoutube-Musiker

Name alias macht… auf YT seit Abonennten Aufrufe gesamt Anzahl Videos

Gregor Hilden GregsGuitars Gitarrensoli 2007 42.266 43.921.289 5900

Rieke Werner StrawbellyCake Anime-Songs 2010 53.998 7.048.627 105

Noah Hunold Noah Hunold Sound-Tutorials 2008 3.553 395.696 77

Robin Segebarth DeservingDeath A-Capella-Solo 2007 17.136 3.538.538 145

Jannik Brunke JannikBMusic Pop-Musik 2012 25.771 1.358.494 43

Lukas Moeller YoungPianoTV Piano-Cover 2009 20.094 3.325.719 174

Jan-Hendrik Dreyer J Dryor / Playerboy Hip Hop Satire 2010 12.972 304.209 13

Anonym Anonym Rock-Musik 2006 124.008 8.757.311 36

Vincent Lee Rosovits Vincent Lee Music Musikproduzent 2010 25.513 1.742.648 96

Christian Behrens - Manager McFitti 2012 113.462 19.569.325 124

Zehn Interviews im Zeitraum vom 5. April bis 26. Mai 2014Umfang 49 bis 77 Minuten