Below is a fan-made video for a Modest Mouse song that is better than most videos the band has paid money to have made [this is just my opinion, of course]:

Bands, companies, et al have more to look forward to as User Generated Content [UGC] continues to propagate for better or worse.

They have more to look forward to and also things to watch out for – namely losing control of their hard work building brands and identities that are so cherished by them and so easily smashed by a couple kids with laptops. OR, if they’re lucky, some kid may come along and make something better than all their ad spending combined over a decade could’ve come up with.

This is good and bad for reasons different than what you might think : first, by-and-large, ad agencies are too calcified, too hobbled by clients’ demands to make much use of this culture as the ideas are not traditional enough for old, executive camels who make decisions. These geezers of intellect and taste know how to balance the books but have no vision whatsoever and can’t see or be convinced of it, even when it’s there plainly for all others to see.

As for the kids, the only downside of these creative outlets is they’re giving their great ideas and efforts away for free to the sites that feature them.

Let’s face it, though : who cares?

There’s plenty more where that came from! : )

These videos are only exercises that allow them to sharpen their skills while increasing their stake and stock in this whole cultural movement.

Meanwhile, the big, bad, self-proclaimed “creative” people get left behind. Best they can do is rip-off the ideas they get from these kids and make more derivative crap that still hasn’t changed much. You can fake creativity but you can’t imitate SPIRIT and if it ain’t got SPIRIT then it just doesn’t move. And everyone knows it.

Tally-ho, kids!

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