Interactive Web videos clicking with bands

11/23/2007 10:00 PM, Reuters


Indie rock band Arcade Fire recently unveiled the first video for a song from its sophomore album, "Neon Bible." Set to the record's title track, the clip -- which launched on the Internet in early October -- allows users to control the movement of images by mousing and clicking.

The "interactive video" appeared after several weeks of cryptic missives from the band, urging fans to stay tuned to the URL beonlineb.com (an anagram for "Neon Bible").

Featuring shots of singer Win Butler's head and hands on a black background, the clip is among the first of its kind, possibly paving the way for the proliferation of more individualized music videos in the near future. And now, Bristol, U.K.-based interactive media firm Coull is making clickable clips accessible for virtually anyone.

November 19 marks the official launch of coull.tv, a YouTube-like site that enables users to convert any traditional video to an interactive format and publish it for free. A beta version of the site has hosted clickable concert footage by Kylie Minogue and U2, among others, for several months, pioneering interactive video as a medium for sharing and promoting music.

TAILORED TO THE TECHNOLOGY

In Arcade Fire's case, the decision to make a Web-functional video was a matter of technological forward thinking.

"Traditional videos are mostly viewed on YouTube now," says creator Vincent Morisset, who also develops the band's Web sites. "I thought, 'Why spend $200,000 on a production and finish with this tiny pixilated thing? Since it will end up on a computer, let's take advantage of the possibilities that medium offers."'

The move made sense for an indie-label band (Merge Records) that built its fan base largely on the viral power of the Internet. For a total production cost of about $15,000, Arcade Fire reinforced its image as a cutting-edge act by engaging its indie-minded fans in new and interesting ways.

In the United Kingdom, major labels have experimented with interactive video strategies for mainstream pop acts for the past few years. RCA Label Group (U.K.) created a "personalized video experience" to promote the Simon Cowell-created group Westlife's cover of "The Rose" from 2006's "The Love Album." Made interactive by "responsive advertising" firm 20:20 London, the video, parked at mywestlife.com, begins with a screen where users plug in their first and last name. During the wedding-themed video that follows, users' monikers pop up on stationery and in text messages as if they are part of the plot.

"Videos made specifically for the Internet are catching on, because they really get fans engaged," says Londoner Marc Connor, who manages Canadian opera crossover act RyanDan.

The "reactive video" for the duo's single, "Like the Sun," appeared on ryandan.com in September. Unlike Arcade Fire's video, which allows users to control the action, the RyanDan clip utilizes embedded hyperlinks and text boxes offering information, forums, sharing features and even online shopping. Clicking the images brings up a separate screen where users can join a discussion about the object or scene they clicked (in this case, either Ryan or Dan).

Perhaps most important, hyperlinks lead users directly to iTunes, where they can purchase RyanDan video content or audio tracks. Universal would not reveal the costs of the interactive video.

SALES OPPORTUNITIES

Produced in partnership with Universal Music Group's U.K. arm and Coull, the RyanDan video demonstrates how the medium is changing from a nebulous promotional tool to a portal that actively links fans to revenue streams. "The realization that you can just click on a video and it takes you somewhere is huge," Coull CEO Irfon Watkins says. "It can lead users to merchandise, tickets and anything else the artist or label wants to sell."

Coull first integrated its interactive video technology in an online version of the video for "Do They Know It's Christmas?" recorded by various artists in 2004 to raise money for Band Aid 20. The video, still viewable at bandaid20.com, featured biographical information about Bono, Chris Martin, Paul McCartney and other stars who appeared, but it also provided direct links to Band Aid's donation site, thus tracking and monetizing the clip's promotional impact.

"A lot of the things we see on the Internet are made to look like they're for a computer," says Morisset, who shuns clunky, link-laden video content. "Our goal was to make something truly cinematographic."

Neither Watkins nor the labels he has partnered with on interactive videos would comment on the cost of the videos' production. And representatives at Universal and Sony BMG say it's too early to give concrete figures on online sales of albums, tickets and merchandise due to interactive video installation.

But the medium does offer a direct link to these products -- therefore, in essence, the migration of the video from the TV screen to the computer screen has changed the medium's potential. No longer just an expensive tool for enhancing and promoting an artist's image, videos can now lead consumers by the nose to make on-the-spot purchases.

Reuters/Billboard