maandag 14 mei 2007

Online artiesten

Ik schrijf al langer over de fouten die de entertainment industrie maakt in haar strijd tegen toekomstige winstgevendheid illegaal downloaden. Artiesten hebben een alternatief is altijd de stelling, ze moeten dan wel het web omarmen. Om die uitspraak wat minder abstract te maken heeft Clive Thompson gekeken naar de realiteit van artiesten die leven van en op het web. Die realiteit is inspirerend.

"For many of these ultraconnected artists, it seems the nature of creativity itself is changing. It is no longer a solitary act: their audiences are peering over their shoulders as they work, offering pointed comments and suggestions. When OK Go released its treadmill-dancing video on YouTube, it quickly amassed 15 million views, a number so big that it is, as Kulash, the singer, told me, slightly surreal. “Fifteen million people is more than you can see,” he said. “It’s like this big mass of ants, and you’re sitting at home in your underpants to see how many times you’ve been downloaded, and you can sort of feel the ebb and flow of mass attention.” Fans pestered him to know what the band’s next video would be; some even suggested the band try dancing on escalators. Kulash was conflicted. He didn’t want to be known just for making goofy videos; he also wanted people to pay attention to OK Go’s music. In the end, the band decided not to do another dance video, because, as Kulash concluded, “How do you follow up 15 million hits?” All the artists I spoke to made a point of saying they would never simply pander to their fans’ desires. But many of them also said that staying artistically “pure” now requires the mental discipline of a ninja."

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