Curation Video

1. According to this video, what was the music industry like in the 90s and how has it changed more recently?

In the 90's companies such as MTV and radio stations were extremely influential. Range of music was increasing and the industry was very competitive. The industry now allows more small independent labels to be successful and more acts to be found; mainly through the internet. The web allows musicians to take their careers into their own destiny.

2. What are curators (such as Pitchfork and Hypemachine)? What is their role? Why are they important?

 

Curators review music and their aim is to sort through the vast quantities of music and differentiate the good from the bad. Curators are important to guide consumers and let them know what is good and what is real.

 

3. How can you link what this video says about creativity (in video-making, in particular) to David Gauntlett's ideas and to the theory of the long tail?

 

Young amateurs have more creative freedom creating their videos as the ideas are their own and not influenced by others. The fact that they work in small groups help this as there are less range of ideas to incorporate, making the video more radical and less mainstream. This relates to the idea of the long tail as there are more radical individual acts appealing to niche audiences, rather than acts which are designed to appeal to a mass audience. There is now more room on the shelf with the new forms of distribution and creation; and more choice as a result.