If you're a person who lives in the digital age, considers yourself an experienced web surfer, and still haven't heard about Rihanna's new music video, you should be worried!
After a long torturous wait, it's finally over. In the early hours of July 2nd, the singer put an end to the anxiety of fans waiting for the BBHMM video and, of course, of everyone who was swept up by the atmosphere of curiosity RiRi created around it. The buzz was so huge that, within 24 hours, the video hit the incredible mark of more than five million views.
But let's be practical here, what does that actually represent? Why put in so much effort to secure that number of views?
The thing is, with the new digital landscape, people's behavior has changed, forcing a shift in how content is produced and consumed as well.
In the past, artists invested in radio airplay and TV appearances to ensure their work was successful and recognized.
Today, given the current behavior of audiences, the picture is different: a YouTube video represents much more than just an illustration of a song. Depending on how many times it's watched, it can earn the material awards, validating it as a hit.
So fans go to great lengths to make sure their favorite artist's video gets as many views as possible. Sometimes they even create imaginary rivalries, sparking a real war where the battlefield is social media (Twitter, blogs, Instagram, and YouTube itself).
The most recent example of this fan battle is the "competition" between Katy Perry's Roar and Taylor Swift's Blank Space. Who will be the first to hit one billion views on their Vevo channel on YouTube? (For now, Taylor has a slight edge, but far be it from us to add fuel to that fire! :P)
As you can tell, this new context is basically Darwin's natural selection applied to the music world. Artists who don't invest in content production, balancing professional taste with what their fans expect and want, won't survive in the digital environment.
So there's no doubt about it: the success of a release depends on quality investment paired with the right media. That's exactly what Rihanna has been doing masterfully.
