“you Just got Covered”
117
user-generated creative contributions that, on the one hand, are associated
with a specific industry-created product and, on the other, wish to feature
creative talents or responses in a way that is not limited to paratextual or
fan video functions. Such user-generated content may eventually achieve the
status of “base” content within and around its ordinary context of production.
Stylistic features of YouTube cover songs
Self-made cover song videos on YouTube share key aspects of musical and
visual elements. Many performances are acoustic renditions of popular songs
or are emulations of a defining cover version of a base song by a popular
artist. However, the visual aspects of a cover song video do not usually
incorporate elements of the official music video of a base song. The visual
elements of such videos mainly follow “norms” that reflect the attractive
aspects of YouTube, which according to Michael Strangelove are “dialogue,
access to opinions and people, and the sense that we are seeing things that
cannot be seen within the regular fare of commercial media.” 21 Self-made
YouTube cover song videos may also establish a visual connection to types
of industry-driven online music videos such as the video recordings of live
radio performances by popular artists covering other artists or singing an
acoustic version of one of their own songs (e.g. BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge
segment). These complementary visual offerings of radio performances have
been described by Berry as examples of “radio visualization,” which is itself
a process developed to meet the challenges of transmedia engagement. 22
The video recording of live radio performances as a form of music video
is not an elaborate or costly audiovisual production, and it is not a new
visual experience as official music videos that use a recording studio as
their décor existed pre-2000s (The off icial music video of “We are the
World” [1985] is a classic example). The location is the studio of the radio
station where the live performance takes place and the video is usually
published online after the completion of the radio segment. Bits from the
radio interview with the artist and the artist’s preparation moments before
the performance may be included in these video segments, but the focus of
the video is the live performance. These video segments also form another
popular YouTube genre, which may be described as a non-visually elaborate
21 Strangelove, Watching YouTube, 48.
22 Richard Berry, “Radio with Pictures: Radio Visualization in BBC National Radio,” Radio
Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media 11.2 (2013): 169–184.
117
user-generated creative contributions that, on the one hand, are associated
with a specific industry-created product and, on the other, wish to feature
creative talents or responses in a way that is not limited to paratextual or
fan video functions. Such user-generated content may eventually achieve the
status of “base” content within and around its ordinary context of production.
Stylistic features of YouTube cover songs
Self-made cover song videos on YouTube share key aspects of musical and
visual elements. Many performances are acoustic renditions of popular songs
or are emulations of a defining cover version of a base song by a popular
artist. However, the visual aspects of a cover song video do not usually
incorporate elements of the official music video of a base song. The visual
elements of such videos mainly follow “norms” that reflect the attractive
aspects of YouTube, which according to Michael Strangelove are “dialogue,
access to opinions and people, and the sense that we are seeing things that
cannot be seen within the regular fare of commercial media.” 21 Self-made
YouTube cover song videos may also establish a visual connection to types
of industry-driven online music videos such as the video recordings of live
radio performances by popular artists covering other artists or singing an
acoustic version of one of their own songs (e.g. BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge
segment). These complementary visual offerings of radio performances have
been described by Berry as examples of “radio visualization,” which is itself
a process developed to meet the challenges of transmedia engagement. 22
The video recording of live radio performances as a form of music video
is not an elaborate or costly audiovisual production, and it is not a new
visual experience as official music videos that use a recording studio as
their décor existed pre-2000s (The off icial music video of “We are the
World” [1985] is a classic example). The location is the studio of the radio
station where the live performance takes place and the video is usually
published online after the completion of the radio segment. Bits from the
radio interview with the artist and the artist’s preparation moments before
the performance may be included in these video segments, but the focus of
the video is the live performance. These video segments also form another
popular YouTube genre, which may be described as a non-visually elaborate
21 Strangelove, Watching YouTube, 48.
22 Richard Berry, “Radio with Pictures: Radio Visualization in BBC National Radio,” Radio
Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media 11.2 (2013): 169–184.