An Altogether New Shoe

This week at USC we had the opportunity to speak with the producer of the track for My Box in a Box, one of the most popular "viral videos" on the internet. It is a spoof on My Dick in a Box, SNL's infamous skit featuring Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake. My Box in a Box features vocals by Leah Kauffman and a lip-sync video performance by Philadelphia-area model, Melissa Lamb. Together they created the phenomenon My Box in a Box with a catchy hook, and a lyric full of cliched sexual innuendos aimed at the teenage audience with which these videos are so popular.

In class, we discussed at length the conception of the video idea and the production of both the track and the online video. As the class forum evolved, we also viewed numerous other viral videos and discussed the types of music and videos that were popular. What makes a hit song? My Box in a Box, a completely intentional spoof, plays on legitimate top 40 radio stations by adventurous DJs all over the country. It is fast becoming a "hit" song if total plays on the internet are any indication (4.3 million, to be exact).

Some involved in the business have even gone so far as to say that record labels would be smart to sign these two girls. That, because of their rapidly spreading popularity, this could be hugely popular. To which I must say... for real? What does this mean for the future of popular music? If this type of content, employing vulgarity, humor and intentional mockery, as well as low production value (quoted a couple of hours) is so popular, what does that say about the types of content available today?

Without a doubt, the current business model in the music industry must change. The relationship between a record company and artist has fundamentally changed - just not contractually. It's clear that bands today prefer to write/select and produce their music on their own. With ProTools, a mic and a small bedroom set-up, musicians can make a professional sounding album with little or no budget, post it on Myspace and run with it (check out Alexi Murdoch who recently sold out his nationwide tour on his indie label thanks to national exposure through television and social networks). They make the music they want to and have access to a global audience like never before. While they may not be "star" level, they certainly make enough money to continue to make music.

To which I say to record labels: this is called leverage. Artists no longer have to conform to your standards because your advance is paying for it. They don't have to use your songs because the producer you're paying for says so. They don't have to agree to a contract where they make pennies on their CDs (if that), because they can make dollars by selling them on their own.

This is not to say that record labels don't have something offer artists, because they definitely do. They have money to give to a marketing budget. Labels have access to bigger venues. While Myspace and other social networks are globally available, billboards, international tours, and television advertisements are globally influential. They also offer experience: the record label can take a product and sell it using those marketing strategies they've worked tirelessly to concoct.

Through this, it seems that the label and the artist must become partners. An artist makes the product and recruits the audience, the label markets the product and manages their performance career. Contractually, both bring equal and valuable experience to the table; therefore, profits must be split on all levels - digitally, with retailers, and on tour.

The attention span of the average viewer has dramatically increased in recent years. In our digital age, demands can be immediately met - if they aren't, consumers can go elsewhere. As a result, hit songs are thriving, but hit artists are fleeting. A song's popularity comes and goes, longevity may no longer be feasible for an artist. So, content like My Box in a Box could make a fortune if capitalized upon at the right time. Leah Kaufman, Melissa Lamb and Rick Friedrich may never again achieve the kind of success they are now. A record company could have a hit product without having to spend $100,000s on producing it.

Though it will be difficult to parlay the novelty into anything long-lasting, perhaps we should accept that content suffers because we are impatient. If we want what we want when we want it, we can't get it if it takes years to produce and fine-tune the track. For me, it seems equitable to shoes. I could by $150 pair of Nine West boots, but I could get ones that basically look the same for $15 from Payless. They might wear out in a couple months, but I don't care because I've worn them everyday, now I'm tired of them, and my style has changed anyways.. I'm ready for something different. Not just a different pair of boots, but an altogether new shoe.

Perhaps My Box in a Box is an altogether new shoe that both artists, record labels and consumers can benefit from. It remains to be seen where the industry is headed, but if recent Youtube and iTunes records are any indication, hit songs are where it's at.