Oscars Awards Play A Different Tune: Shorter, More Variety, With Less Context

by Wayne Friedman, Feb 16, 2009, 9:18 AM

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Let us not forget the media world still pushes for as many pieces of content as possible into a 24-hour day -- or, more typically, one TV show.

YouTube upload restrictions are around 10 minutes, Internet clips, not full-length TV shows, are still -- far and away -- the most viewed videos, and the upcoming Oscar Awards show only wants to give viewers a small taste of Oscar-nominated songs.

For Peter Gabriel, that's not enough. His song, "Down To Earth," which he co-wrote with Thomas Newman for the Disney movie "Wall-E," is being cut to fit into a medley of songs during the Oscar show. Gabriel says he isn't going to perform -- but he'll be there anyway.

One can understand the need for a complete three- to four-minute song. Truncated versions just don't offer up the right context. Typically, "American Idol" songs are usually stripped down to one-and-a-half to two-minute versions.

Interestingly, Gabriel started way back in the '70s with a group called Genesis -- bands that were part of the so-called "progressive rock" movement, where 10-minute, 15-minute and even 20-minute "songs" were still possible to write, play, and get fans interested. Gentle Giant, anyone?

Oscar producers may feel that a song of just "one" minute may be enough. But what if it were a really good song? In reality, the Oscars is just a variety show, needing to cram in celebrity sightings, short, somewhat-less-than-witty remarks, and big, heavy-metal statues.

Gabriel should take a look around.  MTV Network doesn't run music videos any longer, which means it really doesn't air full songs. MTV's one remaining pure music show, "TRL," has gone away. However, MTV surely will give us a soundtrack of music to its latest reality/celebrity thing.  

Full-length music is for the iPod -- rolling down the street by car, skateboard, or on foot.

For the Oscars, it's hard to get in the mood anyway, in the midst of crusty film directors, glam actresses, and cosmetic commercials - except maybe the obviously self-revealing song: "There's no business like show business."

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0 comments on "Oscars Awards Play A Different Tune: Shorter, More Variety, With Less Context ".

1. William Hughes from Arnold Aerospace
   

   commented on: February 16, 2009 at 9:26 a.m.

   For the 12the year in a row I will NOT be watching the Acadamy Awards Cerimony. Why? Because once again, as it has done in the past 11 years, The Motion Picture Acadamy has snubbed the Summer and Holiday Blockbusters, and has given its Nominations to a group of Obscure Films that only saw limited releases, primarily in New York City and Los Angeles, in the waning days of 2008. With noting for me to root foe, I have no reason to watch the cerimonies.

2. Jonathan Hutter from Garrand
   

   commented on: February 16, 2009 at 9:33 a.m.

   I hate hearing things like, "Gabriel started way back in the '70s with a group called Genesis." It sounds so...prehistoric.

   I might take issue with the context reference. Sometimes, a clip is all you need. I don't need to hear 4 minutes on Idol to get whether someone can or can't sing a song. On the other hand, without seeing the movie, what does the song mean?

3. Donald Sloan from GBG Motionmedia
   

   commented on: February 16, 2009 at 1:20 p.m.

   Snippets build audience. MTV has migrated their old concept to the Internet where they now offer "16,000 music videos" as VoD. Monetizing former formats and content is blossoming online, as you know.

   To migrate longform audiences to online consumption takes a combination of effort from traditional and new media producers. The current multiplicity of such activity heralds a muffled agreement between the emerging content aggregate sites, old school rights holders, and the needs of those now building artificial audience with associative demonstration (i.e., "reality" programming). Efforts such as the contemporary MTV channel are aimed at creating an audience member mindset conditioned to accept certain aspirations and expectations. They do not respond to viewer composition, they aim to modify the audience. These programs will also eventually join their online counterparts. There, combined with PII, the circle shall be complete.

   The wild emergence of this effort by both cable and broadcast networks is blatant and ongoing. It is aimed at semi-immediately dulling independent thinking and doing in deference to toeing the corporate lines (philosophic and bottom). When these interests can imbed content within the promise of targeted marketing, audiences will truly become the herds they were ideally seen as eventually being. It's much more cost-effective to meet a designed demand than to serve a multiplicity of uncontrollable receivers. A sociological demographic can span age and gender. Homogenizing the audience also serves the goals of globalization, the ultimate platform for market expansion.

   Mindset programming is nothing new. Soap operas, network news, and talk shows have been growing common opinion for decades. What is relatively recent is the ability to harvest individual opinion and re-contour subsequent downstream offerings.

   By teasing awareness, then offloading response to an alternate distribution channel, a one-by-one harvest can eventually deliver a much more conditioned and non-recalcitrant consumer. Members of this new demographic will offer less resistance to consumption messaging.

   The media award shows have also been migrating their audiences for years -- first to the theaters, then in-home VHS/DVD, now to online downloading. Each step expanded or created sales channels, lowered distribution costs, and thus raised profits.

   At this juncture in their success, all that's left is to somehow turn home theaters into another revenue stream (perhaps by offering branded build-it-yourself box office facades sold through Home Depot and Lowe's).

4. Aaron B. from AnimationInsider.net
   

   commented on: February 16, 2009 at 3:23 p.m.

   Poor Mr. Gabriel. All he wanted was the full ninety seconds afforded to the other songs... indeed there is no justice for those in the world looking for their twenty-five seconds of song, to make a difference.

5. Mike Spring from Voice Coaches
   

   commented on: February 16, 2009 at 3:25 p.m.

   I think the simple fact of the matter is that most people use the song performances at the Oscars to go to the bathroom or get a snack. By condensing them, we're getting 15 minutes less on an already bloated event. I love the Oscars, don't get me wrong, but a 2-3 hour show instead of 3 1/2 hours would be fantastic!

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