Video's where the action is right now and that includes hip hop vlogging. Recent announcements from hip hop bloggers and podcasters indicate that both the content creators and mainstream media are digging in.
Dex Digital's audio podcast the Mixtape Show is going video and is asking for submissions for a video podcast launching in July:
If you’ve been waiting for a progressive outlet for your progressive content/product/movement, this is that time to get on board with us. Shows will be featured as free downloads in iTunes, the Mixtape Show site, and also made available on YouTube and other hip-hop related networks.
Jay Smooth, long known for hiphopmusic.com which is soon to be a group blog, is now vlogging at Ill Doctrine and he's got the goods. The project involves some kind of partnership with XXL and with the Podtech Network.
The creators of the Ghetto Big Mac now have their own home at Internets Celebrities.
There have been many hip hop film and video makers posting their work on YouTube and other outlets but this seems to be the first wave of hip hop podcasters and bloggers making a visible commitment to video, though the Internets Celebrities may have been first in this crowd.
I think it was Julien Smith that got me thinking about the shift to video back in March and the more recent sale of Wallstrip to CBS that got me fixated.
Short video is an ideal form for Web publishing. It's self-contained and already microchunked and monetizable. It appeals to multiple senses and short attention spans. Smart, creative people can do it relatively quickly and cheaply.
These attributes of short video make it ideal for hip hop which is already off to a good start with music videos, quick interviews and cell phone clips.
What hip hop is missing out on are live events at a time when they're growing in importance in marketing and in B2b realms. While it's hard to miss rock's ability to thrive in live venues, hip hop has been plagued with both the image and reality of violence at concerts as well as the ongoing shutdowns of small, local venues.
When folks like Young Buck are making like Charles Manson with a fork at major awards events, it's hard not to say that hip hop brought its problems on itself.
But rap acts that fall in the indie rock demographic, including Brother Ali and El-P, have solid bases of support in rock oriented clubs around the country while bigger acts can rake it in with international tours. Community events open up other possibilities.
One of the more interesting events of late has been the gatherings of the Hip-Hop Chess Federation and this will be a project to watch. Adisa Banjoko's dream of connecting hip hop and chess has attracted serious attention with the first two events and there will be some fun announcements coming soon from this organization which has many ties to ProHipHop.
Live events remain a potential growth area for hip hop possibly beyond that of other musical genres.
It would be overdoing it to say that online video and offline events are opposites since they can intertwine and complement each other so readily. Each represents opportunities that are extremely rich, focused and monetizable with the possiblity of excessive value for both creators and viewer/participants whose roles may well blur in the process. And each are arguably the ideal, self-contained vehicle for their respective domains.
Next Thing Now:
Interesting related developments I'm following include moblogging, B2B blogs spinning off events, online streaming video of live events and the changing role of movie theaters. It would also be productive to follow developments in forms of lifestreaming such as Twitter and people that videotape everything they do. Let me know if you hear of any services that facilitate editing and microchunking excessive amounts of live footage.
Update:
I left out two key areas of interest in live events, the consolidation and development of live venues by companies like Live Nation and the ongoing success of music festivals such as Bonnaroo, that bought its festival site and is doing quite well [via coolfer].
Though Live Nation is widely reviled as an extension of Clear Channel, such efforts raise the likelihood of hip hop finding suitable performance venues. And while Bonnaroo typically books only a handful of hip hop acts at best, related successes in hip hop [minus the camping] include the Rock The Bells festival, Hot 97's Summer Jam, Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt anniversary concert at Madison Square Gardens and even HSAN's Financial Summits, as well as many other successful events that occur year round from car shows to promotional parties.
Still, there's more money to be made with live events.
Live Nation TV is an excellent example of tying together all the threads mentioned in this post.
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