More opinions nobody on antville will like.

hmmm i think you're being too broad in your assessment. I agree that a viral is NOT from any band you recognize/love. A funny Kanye clip is a Kanye video first and foremost.

Also, OK Go is a band on a major label whose previous video budgets were probably $50-100K. So, a viral clip for them is different than a no-name indie band who's just looking for name recognition. Many newer bands are just looking for a record deal or an opening spot on a tour.

Also, you're on antville - it's directors first, artists & labels second. Viral videos can be huge for directors because it gets their work seen. And agencies have been snatching up viral directors and viral concepts left and right. It's actually a pretty good career move if a director is interested in moving into commercials (i.e. actually pay some of their bills).

And let's be real, viral videos might not be selling a ton of records, but would a straight-ahead performance video for OKGO be selling many more? Some viral stuff- when done hastily and without much thought- cheapens the product, but I think your definition of 'viral' might be too narrow; it encompasses more than just lazy youtube clips and grainy footage of dogs skateboarding. Once the novelty wears off (maybe it already has), we'll be right back to where these sort of videos started: as long as there are creative bands with no money and lots of ambition, viral videos will have their place.

I think the "mile wide/inch deep" comment sums the argument up pretty well. Gimmicky/one-idea type stuff lacks staying power regardless of what discipline you're working in. So I'd say the trick is to make a viral video that has enough ideas in it to keep people watching again and again. As for the comment that the mark of a good video is whether one buys the record or not, to me that's too simple. I'd say videos are just about extending the experience of a band beyond the audio. They help raise curiosity among the prols, and give fans something to get excited about the same way live shows and merchandise do. So it's more indirect I think. Good tracks and good videos make you fans. Fans listen to your releases, go to your shows and buy your junk.

Yeah, I liked that "mile wide/inch deep" comment too. This is like the honeymoon for viral. Eventually it'll level off into something maybe more practical and professional, while kids can still have fun with it.

If you take the long view, viral video is simply a part of the march toward "videofication." At some point, a generation of listeners will no longer think of themselves as such. It is already happening to some degree. Consumers will expect the visual layered on the sonic. They will expect a video to watch while they listen to any given song. While virals may not be effective in some respects currently, they are certainly laying some groundwork for what may be an ubiquitous integrated consumptive experience. This necessitates a lot more visual product. There will be more SpecialTens I reckon. Perhaps virals and the like are just some sort of training ground, both creatively and in craft.

I just wrote "ubiquitous integrated consumptive experience." Hmm.