Study Buddy
Press Here and Listen While You Read
Some people need a good study buddy to be victorious in their endeavors. Sometimes, that study buddy comes in the form of a gif of an anime girl and her cat. ChilledCow, the YouTube page, has provided that friend for all the world. It runs a live stream on the channel, “lofi hip hop radio — beats to relax/study to” that contains a gif of the girl writing notes with her cat watching the rain through her window. Consistently, new lofi beats are being shared on this stream. Somebody could be introduced to an entire subgenre of music that they may not have known existed. The music is hip hop based, using samples and drums to create a sonically soothing instrumental. Because there is no words and is typically just a loop, it is fairly easy for an underground producer to make. The song titles and the artist that made it are credited in the top corner as the stream goes on, so this is a great opportunity for promotion. Especially considering how many people tune in.
As I am writing this currently, there are over 16,000 people from all over the world are tuned in. Originally, people would tune into a radio station, risk having a weak signal, deal with advertisements and the hosts talking, and other distractions that interrupt the music.
The concept of the radio has been taken and improved in order to focus more on the specific goal of consistently listening to relaxing music, much like what Jay Botler is speaking about in “Writing as Technology”. The radio has been remediated, as the stream looks at the structure of the format and finds ways to remove certain aspects to focus it to fit a specific purpose (consistent music for the specific purpose of studying).
As previously stated, thousands tune in to see their study buddy with the cat and then hit the books and start studying. However, people can also find their own actual study buddies if they want by going to the live chat along the side of the video. People can immediately interact with the music and each other. Whether it is finding comfort in each other while everyone is on the studying grind, talking about current events, or blatant trolling, it can be done. It also gives a look into the scope of what type of people are watching. The comments jump around in languages, showing that a diverse group of people are all connected to this live stream.
This form of media focuses heavily on transparency. If homework requires the computer, which much of it does, one can simply play the video, open another tab, and work with music in the background. If the work does not require a computer, someone can make it full screen and see their favorite study buddy on screen, grinding away at her work just like they should be doing instead of being distracted on their computer.
There are also some very prominent components of hypermediacy that come with this format. The live chat on the side is the biggest example. It is interactive, so if a person wanted to use this aspect of the site they would have to click on the box and type in what they want to say. Also, the gif is animated. It foregoes transparency, which would have been fully achieved if they had done something like have an actual person be in the gif. However, the animation fits the vibe of the music, and having an actual person may just be another form of remediation that just hasn’t happened yet.
The creator found an alternative way of getting money for the stream as well. Instead of interrupting the music with ads, the viewers/listeners can scroll down to the description and look at merch that is being sold. All of the merch is based off of the stream. People can buy the girl’s notebook, posters of the scene, stickers to put on their laptop cases or wherever they so please, and clothes with the YouTube profile pic and name on it. Another interesting aspect of the website is there is a section where the creators feature certain songs. In doing so, they also feature a new piece of artwork to go with it, for they get their own video. It is added exposure for the people who made the music as well as the people who create the artwork for the videos in order for more people to find their work.
Because of how it constantly changes and is updated periodically, it can be seen as a way to absorb a lot of musical content. Some sentiments from Rebecca Solnit in her essay “The Garden of Merging Paths” when she talks about how we run through the maze simply consuming. It would be easy for somebody to spend a significant amount of time on that stream and not know who made what songs. Once the song changes, the name of it changes at the same time, making it difficult to find ones after they have been played. To combat this, an offline playlist of all the songs in the loop can be found on Soundcloud and Spotify. It is linked in the description, so people can go back and find the beats that made them feel good.
All this being said, don’t be surprised when the radio makes a resurgence. If this idea gets expanded upon, we can have multiple live streams of different genres. The radio used to be a haven for musicians to be heard. That has been changed because of music streaming services. ChilledCow introduced bringing this newly defined version of the radio where artist will soon hope to see their work on streams rather than waves.
Music is a beautiful thing that connects people in ways unimaginable, now more than ever. This format connects people with musicians, artists, and other people struggling just as they are to study for finals. It’s nice to know that a study buddy is always there if someone needs it.
