I followed a link from the Tofu Hut to a page that points to dozens of online music videos, and nostalgia impelled me to click on a couple, then to wonder about several others (such as, for instance, the u2 “Gloria” video). Why is it so hard to find these online, and why are so many of them low-res, or pixellated-streamed, tiny frames?
These are promotional devices — commercials — and there’s an eager audience for them. Why do the record companies make it hard for me to amplify my desire to buy their products?
If you want to see any U2 video ever made (including the one for “Gloria”), they’re all available at U2.com. Alas, unless you’re willing to shell out for membership ($20 if you were a former subscriber to *Propaganda* magazine; $40 otherwise), you’re limited to clips. If you shell out, though, you can listen to just about any track and watch just about any video from their catalog — and you get early chances to buy tickets for concerts as well. As someone who owned much of the U2 catalog on vinyl, I shelled out, and have been very glad I did so (not least because I’ve got two pairs of floor tickets to see them, thanks to the U2.com membership).
I don’t think the music industry is concerned about promoting to you or me or anyone else over 30.