114
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
closer to processes found in media fandoms. YouTube-based popularity may
become a mainstream media reference, which may in turn expand a user’s
earning potential, lead to major-label record deals, or generate an invitation
to audition for a hit TV talent show such as The Voice.
YouTube cover song videos (as discussed here) should not be confused with
the aesthetics and practices specific to fannish vidding or parodies of the
official music video of a commercial song. According to Francesca Coppa,
“vidding is a form of grassroots filmmaking in which clips from television
shows and movies are set to music. The result is called a vid or a songvid
[…]. [F]annish vidders use music in order to comment on or analyze a set
of preexisting visuals, to stage a reading, or occasionally to use the footage
to tell new stories.” 8 YouTube cover song videos by contrast are amateur,
sometimes sophisticated, video productions featuring an aspiring singer/
musician, who performs a version of a preexisting song. The video is usually
self-made, and such videos are predominantly shared on YouTube. Coppa
argues that a vid “is a visual essay that stages an argument, and thus it is
more akin to arts criticism than to traditional music video.” 9 The examples
discussed here are musical performances that showcase the vocal abilities
and creativity of the performer(s) appearing in the video, tested against
a popular commercial product. However, similar to Turk’s work on vids
and vidding, YouTube cover song videos also “respond to and repurpose
commercial media […] in ways that the producers and copyright holders
did not intend and may not approve.” 10 Furthermore, YouTube cover song
videos are examined outside the context of fan studies, and are thus viewed
as a DIY process that appropriates amateur or industry-made practices to
visually communicate and inexpensively promote a musician.
George Plasketes 11 is one of the few scholars to have published consistently
on the topic of covers. In his influential article “Re-flections on the Cover
8 Francesca Coppa, “Women, Star Trek, and the early development of fannish vidding,” Transformative Works and Cultures, 1, (2008), accessed July 21, 2017, http://journal.transformativeworks.
org/index.php/twc/article/view/44/64
9 Ibid.
10 Tisha Turk, “Transformation in a New Key: Music in Vids and Vidding,” Music, Sound, and
the Moving Image 9.2 (2015): 174.
11 George Plasketes, ed., Play it Again: Cover Songs in Popular Music (Surrey: Ashgate Publishing,
Ltd., 2010);
George Plasketes, “Re-flections on the Cover Age: A Collage of Continuous Coverage in Popular
Music,” Popular Music and Society 28.2 (2005): 137–161; George Plasketes, “Look What They’ve
Done to my Song: Covers and Tributes, an Annotated Discography, 1980–1995,” Popular Music &
Society 19.1 (1995): 79–106; George Plasketes, “Like a Version: Cover Songs and the Tribute Trend
in Popular Music,” Studies in Popular Culture (1992): 1–18.
AdAptAtion in the Age of MediA ConvergenCe
closer to processes found in media fandoms. YouTube-based popularity may
become a mainstream media reference, which may in turn expand a user’s
earning potential, lead to major-label record deals, or generate an invitation
to audition for a hit TV talent show such as The Voice.
YouTube cover song videos (as discussed here) should not be confused with
the aesthetics and practices specific to fannish vidding or parodies of the
official music video of a commercial song. According to Francesca Coppa,
“vidding is a form of grassroots filmmaking in which clips from television
shows and movies are set to music. The result is called a vid or a songvid
[…]. [F]annish vidders use music in order to comment on or analyze a set
of preexisting visuals, to stage a reading, or occasionally to use the footage
to tell new stories.” 8 YouTube cover song videos by contrast are amateur,
sometimes sophisticated, video productions featuring an aspiring singer/
musician, who performs a version of a preexisting song. The video is usually
self-made, and such videos are predominantly shared on YouTube. Coppa
argues that a vid “is a visual essay that stages an argument, and thus it is
more akin to arts criticism than to traditional music video.” 9 The examples
discussed here are musical performances that showcase the vocal abilities
and creativity of the performer(s) appearing in the video, tested against
a popular commercial product. However, similar to Turk’s work on vids
and vidding, YouTube cover song videos also “respond to and repurpose
commercial media […] in ways that the producers and copyright holders
did not intend and may not approve.” 10 Furthermore, YouTube cover song
videos are examined outside the context of fan studies, and are thus viewed
as a DIY process that appropriates amateur or industry-made practices to
visually communicate and inexpensively promote a musician.
George Plasketes 11 is one of the few scholars to have published consistently
on the topic of covers. In his influential article “Re-flections on the Cover
8 Francesca Coppa, “Women, Star Trek, and the early development of fannish vidding,” Transformative Works and Cultures, 1, (2008), accessed July 21, 2017, http://journal.transformativeworks.
org/index.php/twc/article/view/44/64
9 Ibid.
10 Tisha Turk, “Transformation in a New Key: Music in Vids and Vidding,” Music, Sound, and
the Moving Image 9.2 (2015): 174.
11 George Plasketes, ed., Play it Again: Cover Songs in Popular Music (Surrey: Ashgate Publishing,
Ltd., 2010);
George Plasketes, “Re-flections on the Cover Age: A Collage of Continuous Coverage in Popular
Music,” Popular Music and Society 28.2 (2005): 137–161; George Plasketes, “Look What They’ve
Done to my Song: Covers and Tributes, an Annotated Discography, 1980–1995,” Popular Music &
Society 19.1 (1995): 79–106; George Plasketes, “Like a Version: Cover Songs and the Tribute Trend
in Popular Music,” Studies in Popular Culture (1992): 1–18.