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The fall and rise of the music video
音乐视频复兴史

        EVERY two months the British Film Institute hosts a celebration of new music videos. “Bug” draws a keen, arty crowd—demand for tickets greatly exceeds supply. Competition for screen time is fierce, too: David Knight, who picks the videos, receives 150-200 submissions for each show. A once tawdry media product has become fashionable.

        每两个月，英国电影协会都会举行一场音乐视频的庆典活动。各路明星吸引了许多热情的艺术爱好者——演出门票远远供不应求。而上场机会的争夺也非常激烈：大卫·奈特负责为演出挑选视频，每场演出他都能收到150至200封推荐信。曾经华而不实的媒体产品如今变得走俏起来。

        At its commercial peak, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the music video simply gushed cash. It was essentially an advertisement for recorded music, supplied free by a record company to a channel—MTV—for which viewers paid, and which also showed actual advertisements.

        二十世纪八十年代末、九十年代初是音乐视频的商业巅峰期，总能带来不断的财源。当时，它是音乐唱片的必要宣传手段，由唱片公司免费提供给电视台——音乐电视台。观众付费给电视台，而电视台则播放真实的广告。

   But then CD sales collapsed. Record companies slashed budgets and stopped giving away videos. MTV found a sideline in reality television, which has gradually taken over its schedule, particularly in America. Its flagship channel has all but abandoned music videos.

    但随后，音乐唱片的销量急剧下降。唱片公司大大削减预算，并停止了音乐视频的拍摄。而音乐电视台开发的副业，真人秀节目，也逐步取代了音乐视频，尤其是在美国。音乐电视台的旗舰频道什么都有，就是没有音乐视频。

   They found a home on YouTube, among clips of rambling teenagers and off-message politicians. That was fine for consumers, who could call up videos whenever they liked. It was not so good for media firms, which watched a torrent of revenue turn into a trickle. YouTube runs few ads, for not much money. Google, which bought the outfit in 2006, has yet to announce that YouTube has turned a profit. Yet the music video is quietly reviving.

    不过，音乐视频在YouTube视频网站上找到了新家。这个网站上有众多悠闲的青少年和别具一格的政客。对于消费者来说，这是一种不错的形式，因为可以随时打开视频观看。但对于传媒公司来说就不如人意了，眼看着滚滚财源化为涓涓细流。YouTube网站上也投放少量广告，但收益不多。不过据2006年收购了该网站的谷歌透露，YouTube网站已经开始盈利。音乐视频正在悄然复苏。

   One reason is that production costs have fallen even faster than budgets. High-definition cameras, editing software and computer-processing power are all much cheaper. Jill Capone, head of marketing for Universal Motown Records, says she might spend a mere $3,000-5,000 on a video to promote a new artist, or $75,000 for an established act. “Gone are the days of the $600,000 video,” she smiles.

    其原因之一是生产成本的降低大于预算的降低。高清摄像机，视频编辑软件和计算机处理设备都便宜了不少。吉尔·卡班恩是环球唱片公司市场部负责人，她称花费3000至5000美元就可以做一个视频推广新人，或者75000美元就可以做一个短片。“那种动辄六十万做视频的时代已经过去了，”她微笑着说。

   Another reason is that music videos have found more lavish digital homes. MTV’s popular website plays music videos as well as television clips. Sony Music and Universal Music have invested in

    另一个原因，是音乐视频找到了丰富多彩的数字家园。音乐电视台的流行网站上可以播放音乐视频以及电视节目。例如索尼音乐公司和环球音乐公司投资的Vevo网站。



What does a lady have to do to get a little attention these days?
如今为了吸引眼球，一位淑女该怎么做呢？

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Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2010. All rights reserved. Advertising info Legal disclaimer Accessibility Privacy policy Terms of use Vevo, a website that showed 261m music videos to 50m viewers in America and Canada in November, according to comScore. Selectivity is key to its success. On YouTube, says Rio Caraeff, Vevo’s chief executive, a viewer might proceed from a slick Lady Gaga video (see above) to a grainy home movie of cats dancing to a Lady Gaga soundtrack. On Vevo viewers swim in a pool of professional content. That consistency appeals to advertisers. Mr Caraeff says advertising rates are comparable to those of broadcast television (that is, roughly $20-30 per 1,000 viewers), though Vevo runs far fewer ads than a television network.

据康姆思科公司透露，11月该网站为美国和加拿大的5000万观看者提供了2亿6100万个音乐视频。可选择性是该网站取得成功的关键。Vevo的执行总监里欧·卡拉夫表示，YouTube网站上的网民既能欣赏Lady Gaga的华丽音乐视频，也能看到模糊的猫咪随着Lady Gaga音乐起舞的家庭自制视频。但在Vevo网站上，网民享受到的都是专业视频。这种质量的统一性吸引了众多广告商。卡拉夫先生还表示，尽管Vevo网站投放的广告数量比电视网少，其广告费率已堪比广播电视的广告费率（每千人收看20至30美元）。

   The average visit to Vevo lasts 15 minutes. In a bid to drive that figure up, the website is pushing “channels”, which play music videos organised by genre and mood. In short, the website is coming to resemble television. It is also moving to the television set. Many Americans who buy high-end TVs this year will be able to play music videos from Vevo or YouTube. They may tolerate more ads on the big screen than they do online.

    Vevo视频网站的平均停留时间为15分钟。为了延长这个时间，该网站将推出“音乐频道”模式，根据音乐流派和风格将音乐视频归类。简而言之，视频网站的形式正在向电视靠拢，网站自身也在慢慢进入电视市场。许多今年购买了高端电视节目的美国人将可以观赏来自Vevo网站和YouTube网站的音乐视频。比起在网上看视频，人们在电视上收看视频的时候能够接受的广告更多。

   Although the economics of the music video are improving, the fast-money days are over. But, oddly, that is a lure for some. When music videos became economically marginal, they acquired artistic credibility. Up-and-coming directors are often keen to make music videos. It raises their cachet and helps them move into TV ads, where the real money is.

    然而，尽管音乐视频的经济状况在复苏，暴利的时代已然过去。但奇怪的是，不挣钱的音乐视频对某些人反倒成为一种诱惑。因为音乐视频虽然在经济上处于边缘地位，却赢得了艺术上的美誉。那些积极进取的导演们总是热衷于制作音乐视频。它象征了导演们的实力，帮助导演们进军电视广告业。而那，才是真金白银的来源。