[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKsVSBhSwJg[/youtube]It seems as though everyone wants to create the next viral internet phenomenon. Mashable has an article showcasing several music videos that have gone viral and suggestions on how to do the same; however, none of them really add any clarity to the subject at hand. I understand the use of the word “viral” to describe something that affects or infects someone and THEN spreads rapidly either due to a lack of hand washing or spam filtering. While the two components to creating viral content seem to be equally important, the latter is lost in the noise created by the former.
Here is an excerpt from the article:
They say that Internet killed the video star (or the Limousines did, but still). We would beg to differ. The web has opened up a tour bus-full of opportunities for bands hoping to get their music out there via the cinematic medium. And to back up that assertion, we’ve talked with musicians, including Cee-Lo Green, Auto-Tune the News and OK Go, and gathered together their top tips for making an eminently shareable music video.
In the past, the realm of music videos was a whole lot less democratic — but that’s all changed dramatically in recent years.
“Distribution is going through a massive upheaval,” says Fred Santarpia, general manager of Vevo. “Cable TV is not the primary paradigm for the format. Rather, tens of millions of fans actively seek out and share their favorite music videos online each month, and with the explosion of the video-enabled smartphone market, we at Vevo believe that music videos will go viral even faster than they do today as more fans turn to the screen in their hand to discover new music.” Read More HERE.
The article discusses, in very shallow manner, why video content is important to artists. It also references several videos and why they found viral success (kind of). So how DO you create viral content?
Well….I guess I will just quote Seth Godin, “Be remarkable.” If remarkable doesn’t work, try again.
