There’s A New King In Town… and It Ain’t Content
If you work in any media related industry, you will be very familiar with the “context is king” phrase. Even in 2016, it’s something that you might say or hear every day.
Why is content king?
We live in a world where (to name a few) musicians, film studios, politicians, publishers, retailers, socialites, friends, family, ‘friends’ that you have no interest in and meerkat based insurance companies are all on the battlefield competing for eyeballs (not literally) in the hope of winning clicks, shares, comments, likes, follows, views, bank account details, blood or numbers for their end-of-week reports.
This battle takes place everyday on your favourite internet machine and we’re all competing… if you’re reading this now, I’ve grabbed your eyeballs (again, not literally).
The digital age gives everybody a voice. It gives everybody the opportunity to change the world. It also gives everybody the opportunity to broadcast their lives and connect with anybody no matter where in the world they may be (if they have access to data/wifi) – although, the latter can be a bad thing when you consider cyber bullying, terrorist radicalisation and my old band demos on Soundcloud.
In a digital world of noise, what’s the best way to capture (non-literal) eyeballs? Content. Because content is king… or is it?
As someone who works in the music industry, content is an essential part of the business. In fact, it’s the only part when you think about it. But (as this post proves) anyone can make content. It doesn’t mean that all content is good (look at the Vine videos I make for ‘lolz’). Creating and sharing content does not mean a thing unless it add value or depth – no matter how big or small. How do you do that? Context. Context is king.
To give you an example, I’ve been a lover of music since I was in utero (not the Nirvana album) and I’m constantly making playlists. It’s an obsession. But for all the thought and time that goes into curating playlists, all I have is a ‘bunch of songs’ (content). This doesn’t really reveal anything about me — unless it’s a Ryan Adams playlist (that’s a clear sign that I need a hug).
Think of your favourite tunes and ask yourself why you love them (don’t do this out loud, it’s weird). I have countless stories, emotions, moments and memories which are triggered whenever I hear certain songs and I’m sure you do too.
Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. It reminds us all of who we were, who we are and who we’ll (maybe) become — but when you think of your best moments in life, chances are that it’s not just what you were doing but how that memory made you feel then or makes you feel now. You only have to look at the wealth of ‘On This Day’ posts on Facebook to see how context makes a huge difference to the content being shared.
Our playlists and record collections do not reflect who we are. The reason why we make playlists and buy records is much more interesting.
Recently, I was listening to Desert Island Discs AND watching This Is Your Life on at TV at the same time (yep, I have ADHD) and a (metaphorical) lightbulb came on (I don’t live in haunted house)… what if we told stories to accompany the music that we share?
Anyone who knows me personally will tell you that music is inside me (grow up). Music has always been a part of my life and makes me who I am. Songs may not always be cool, hip, lit, sick or wicked but if they make us who are, we shouldn’t be afraid to share these songs and stories with the world.
You’ll be thrilled to know that this rant is almost done and everything you’ve been reading so far was nothing more than an introduction(!) to what I’m about to share…
My Musical Life: Born In The 80s
I was born in the 80s. Arguably the worst decade for ‘popular’ music (in my opinion). Fortunately, my parents realised that a dignified musical upbringing was important and drowned out the sound of gated snares with ‘better’ music.
One of my first ever memories is of me sitting on the living room floor and playing with my dad’s 12 inches (not like that). I was fascinated by the sleeves and used to spread them out all over the floor and pull out the records and polish them (child labour!) for my dad. If anyone came near me or the vinyl, I would shout “Dedords! Decords!” at them like a hyperactive minion. I don’t know why I loved vinyl so much as a kid but when I think about my obsession with music, I’m always reminded of the time spent on the living room giving my dad’s 12 inches a good scrub (grow up!).
FUN FACT: I was played Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ BEFORE I was born and it is without doubt my favourite album of all-time and always will be. It’s an album that is embedded into my DNA (which may explain why I am the way I am).
The music I was played as a child was at the opposite end of the scale to what was on the radio at the time. Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Bros, Brother Beyond, Jive Bunny (fucking hell)…
I’ve put all of these early musical memories into one playlist for y’all to enjoy. At the time, these songs weren’t much more than ‘sound’ — but looking back, they were actually much more important than that. Love them or hate them, without these songs — I wouldn’t be the hyperactive, creative, dad jokin’ fashion icon that I am now. And for that, you are very welcome.
