See the article for that presentation here: http://muke-blog.org/media-intermediation-careers-on-youtube-2665 It represents the contents and discussion of a presentation on the influence of media and networks on the careers of YouTubers. The presentation was held by us at a panel about Work, Entrepreneurship and the Market in DIY Cultures at the Keep It Simple Make It Fast (KISMIF) Conference 2014 in Porto.

1. !
Media-Intermediation & Careers on YouTube
How Musicians get
Empowered in Post-
Industrial Media-Economies
Lorenz Grünewald, M.A.
Franscisco Bernardo, M.A.
Joachim Haupt, M.A.

2. A
G
E
N
D
A
1
2
3
4
Networked Culture
YouTubers | Culture | Economy
Re-Intermediation
Intermediaries | Multi-Channel Networks | Model
Media-Intermediation?
Freedom | Empowerment
Outlook
How to go on?

3. 1 Networked Culture
YouTubers | Culture | Economy

4. Trends
”Youtube-Stars“
gaining
relevance
Commercials for YouTube
channels in New York
Source: private

6. Youtuber
Object of research and research method
Focus
Youtuber
Germany
Musicians
Methods
In-depth interviews
Exploratory approach
Grounded Theory
Qualitative content analysis
Questions
How do musicians on
Youtube form a
new kind of networked
music culture
and how is it shaped? How
do they build their careers?

7. Friendship
Relationships
Collaboration
Networking
Cultural
Social
Economic
Referencing
Cameos
Collaboratie Shows
Parodies
Features
‚Memes‘
„Cross-Promotion“
Increasing Attention
Attention-Economy
Sharing Knowledge (e.g. monetization)
Rationalization
Intermediation
Youtube’s “Common Culture“
as a networked culture with social, cultural and economic implications
[T]hrough their participation
and ways in which other
YouTubers engage with them, a
sense of YouTube’s “common
culture” is created. It is above
all this embeddedness […] that
marks out the difference
between the practices of the
“entrepreneurial vloggers” and
most mainstream media uses of
YouTube.
“
Burgess & Green (2009):
The Entrepreneurial Vlogger: Participatory
Culture Beyond the Professional-Amateur
Divide, p. 30

8. 2 Intermediation
Intermediaries | Multi-Channel Networks | Model

9. Intermediaries
…offer services between two parties
Artist Record
Company
Distributor Retailer Fan
Intermediaries

10. Dis-Intermediation
Through digitally networked media
Artist Fan
YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook

11. Trends
YouTube
Partner and
Multi Channel
Networks
(MCN)
Ranking of the top 10
YouTube partners
according to their
unique viewers in Sep.
2013 (in Mio. in GER) |
Source: comScore /
Statista 2014
YouTube Partner
Programme:
“more than a million creators
from over 30 countries“ |
“Thousands of chanels are
making six figures a year“ |
Source: Youtube 2014
+

12. Multi Channel Networks (MCN)
What are those?
Companies with economic interest
Collect and Administrate YouTube(r’s) Channels
Locked into Content-ID (Tracking and Blocking Content)
Attract Advertisers
Earn Revenue from Advertising
Empower and Connect YouTubers
AwesomenessTV
Maker Studios
Dreamworks
Disney
$$$

13. Multi Channel Networks (MCN)
What are those?
Companies with economic interest
Collect and Administrate YouTube(r’s) Channels
Locked into Content-ID (Tracking and Blocking Content)
Attract Advertisers
Earn Revenue from Advertising
Empower and Connect YouTubers
AwesomenessTV
Maker Studios
Dreamworks
Disney
$$$

14. Re-Intermediation…?
Through digitally networked media
Artist
Fan
YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook
MCN
???
Artist
Artist
Artist

15. 3 Media Intermediation and Intermediation Media
Freedom | Empowerment
Our findings suggest s.th. different…
Something like Media-Intermediation

16. Dis-Intermediation
Through digitally networked media
Artist Fan
YouTube, Bandcamp, Facebook

17. Media-Mediation?
Through digitally networked media
Artist FanYouTube
Media-Intermediation

18. YouTube’s “Scope“
Empowerment Through Digitally Networked Mediation Media
YouTubeYouTube
The possibility to plan viral [video] was
gradually scaled back. With just one
video you have fewer and fewer influence
on how many people get to see your
video. Some people talk of conspiracies.
(YouTube Musician in an interview)
“
SCOPE
YouTube?
SoundCloud?
Bandcamp?

19. What do MCN do?
Empowerment and Rationalisation
YouTubeYouTube
Systematic ‚Cross-Promotion‘
Dealing with legal issues
(strikes)
Getting licences
Coaching (Format Development,
Channel & Profile Building)
Studios & Equipment
Relationships w/ YouTube
SCOPE

20. MCNs influence YouTube’s Scope
in social, cultural and economic respects
MCN
Artist
Artist
Artist
Label
YouTubeYouTube
SCOPE

21. What do MCN do?
Quotations from our interviews
Today nothing really works
without a network. If you wanna
get support and you contact Google
without being in a network, you
can wait for two month until you
will get a reply. And if you are part
of a network you will be served
more quickly.
“
Selected network partners will
be placed on the homepage in
cooperation with YouTube. [Or]
you can get special permissions
like for music that would
otherwise not be displayed
because of the GEMA but it
is unlocked for such a purpose.
“

22. YouTube
It’s about the scope
And about increasing it through empowerment
Artist FanYouTube
Media-Intermediation
MCN

23. 4 Outlook
How to go on?

24. We’re not there yet…
Networked Empowerment or Re-Intermediation?
Artist Fan
MCN
MCN FanYouTube
?
YouTube
Artist

25. Thank You!
Lorenz Grünewald, M.A.
Franscisco Bernardo, M.A.
Joachim Haupt, M.A.
@lorenzguitar
@franxico
@joachimhaupt

26. Extra!
Joachim Haupt, M.A.
Lorenz Grünewald, M.A.

27. Auswahl
Youtube-Musiker
Name alias macht… auf YT seit Abonennten Aufrufe gesamt Anzahl Videos
Gregor Hilden GregsGuitars Gitarrensoli 2007 42.266 43.921.289 5900
Rieke Werner StrawbellyCake Anime-Songs 2010 53.998 7.048.627 105
Noah Hunold Noah Hunold Sound-Tutorials 2008 3.553 395.696 77
Robin Segebarth DeservingDeath A-Capella-Solo 2007 17.136 3.538.538 145
Jannik Brunke JannikBMusic Pop-Musik 2012 25.771 1.358.494 43
Lukas Moeller YoungPianoTV Piano-Cover 2009 20.094 3.325.719 174
Jan-Hendrik Dreyer J Dryor / Playerboy Hip Hop Satire 2010 12.972 304.209 13
Anonym Anonym Rock-Musik 2006 124.008 8.757.311 36
Vincent Lee Rosovits Vincent Lee Music Musikproduzent 2010 25.513 1.742.648 96
Christian Behrens - Manager McFitti 2012 113.462 19.569.325 124
Zehn Interviews im Zeitraum
vom 5. April bis 26. Mai 2014
Umfang 49 bis 77 Minuten