Digitisation Benefits for Music Archives

The digital world has transformed the entertainment industry archives, breathing new life into the works of many of the previous generations of music artists. The digitisation benefits for music archives with regards to any film and videotape content of artists can be huge. Digitisation can not only preserve these cultural treasures, but also spark renewed interest in the artists back catalogues. In many cases it can expose their work to an entirely new global audience. 

The resurgence can now be directly attributed to the accessibility and discoverability of music sound, film and video archive on modern digital platforms, appealing to both the nostalgic older fans and the ever curious younger audience. 

The following article delves a little deeper into the many cultural and commercial digitisation benefits for music archives before going on to explore how this has positively impacted the archive and of one of ITV Content Services long term partners – The Beggars Group. 

The Digitisation Process

The digitisation process of archive music and film involves converting analog recordings, such as vinyl records, tape, film reels and videotape into digital formats. This process naturally preserves the content into a more durable, stable and accessible medium. Key distributors and drivers of this transformation include streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube which continue to offer vast libraries of film and music content.

The Cultural Benefits

Preservation and Restoration : Digital technology not only allows for the transfer of old recordings, but often the recovery and enhancing of audio and visual quality through processes like colour correction, noise reduction, and stabilisation. These processes can make the content sound or look better than it did in its original form.

Global Accessibility : Digitised content is accessible worldwide, often removing previous geographical barriers that once limited the distribution of the original physical media. Platforms like Spotify and Apple Music enable users to stream music from any era or genre from anywhere.

Renewed Interest and Discovery : The nostalgia market is stronger than ever. Older fans can relive their youth through the music and video they grew up with, now conveniently available on multiple digital platforms. The ability to easily access classic albums or music video greatly enhances their connection to the past. Additionally, new or younger audiences plus those who may have never encountered this content previously can discover them through curated playlists, recommendations, and social media. TikTok, for instance, has played a significant role in introducing Gen Z to older music. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” saw a massive resurgence in popularity after a viral TikTok video featured the song.

Educational Value : Digital archives serve as educational resources for those studying music history, film, and culture. Access to comprehensive libraries allows for instant, in-depth exploration of different eras and styles. Documentaries and biopics on streaming platforms also significantly contribute to this interest. For example, the Netflix series “Hip-Hop Evolution” has helped educate viewers about the origins and evolution of hip-hop, drawing them to explore the original music from the genre’s pioneers.

The digitisation of archive content also has many significant commercial benefits, both for the original artists and for  the platforms hosting their work :-

The Commercial Benefits

Revenue Streams for Artists : Streaming services provide a steady revenue stream for artists from their back catalogues. Although the per-stream revenue might be low, the volume of streams can generate significant income. For instance, the estate of Prince has benefited from the digitisation of his extensive music catalogue, making his work available on streaming platforms after his death.

Increased Sales of Physical Media : The renewed interest often translates into increased sales of physical media. Vinyl records, for example, have seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years, with many older albums now being reissued to meet the demand. This trend is evident with classic albums like Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon,” which continues to sell in physical formats alongside its digital streams.

Merchandising and Licensing : Renewed interest in archive tracks and content can lead to lucrative merchandising deals and licensing opportunities. Popular songs from the past are frequently used in commercials, movies, and TV shows, generating substantial additional revenue. Licensing deals for songs like Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which has been featured in numerous films and advertisements, exemplify this trend alongside the well publicised success of Kate Bush’s “Running up that hill” after being licensed in Netflix’s “Stranger things.

We managed to get a few moments with Lesley Bleakley the director of The Beggars Arkive and asked her if she might share some of her insight and experiences to date of their own ongoing digital transformation journey. The Beggars Arkive  represents the  catalogue of the past  Beggars Group labels and artists. The legacy labels including Beggars Banquet, too pure, Wiiija, Mantra and Situation two . Some of their featured artists include Gary Numan, The Cult, The Fall, Bauhaus, Electric six, The Charlatans and many more.

Why did you decide to digitise your archive?   

Lesley :  As part of our overall commitment to our artists past and present we want to present their work in the best quality possible.  Looking at how visuals have improved over the years and as most of the Beggars Arkive videos were from the 80’s & 90’s it made the most sense to do it as soon as possible. We were very lucky time wise that the conversations with ITV Content Services happened just as we were considering how to do it.  We also decided to start the process with The Beggars Arkive to see how that went before rolling out the process to the other Group labels :  4AD,  Rough Trade, XL Recordings and Y-o-u-n-g

What were the volumes of assets and their most common formats that required digitising?   

Lesley : The main format was DigiBeta but we also had a lot of 1” reels.  To date we have digitised over 500 promotional videos with more to do as we discover live footage and hidden gems that the fans will love.  Other formats include 1630’s and VHS.

Where did you decide to feature the digitised content and what other plans do you have for it?

Lesley : We have upgraded all our videos on all the videos Demand Server Platform’s (DSP’s) to date.  The one we have spent a lot of time with is YouTube,  we have done numerous background upgrades and our subscribers have been very appreciative of the efforts. New thumbnails, end cards and playlists that have all been highlighted on our socials have made sure that the upgraded videos get a lot of attention from the fans.

What have the results been on YT to date? 

Lesley: To date we have 243,000 subscribers on YT. Which is fairly modest, but the increase in subscribers since we first started uploading and swapping our videos for the upgraded versions ITV Content Services have helped to provide us, represents an increase of nearly 40% . We get numerous comments from fans loving the great quality of the videos.  One video to note is ‘Spirit’ by Bauhaus which to date has got 238,000 views.  It had never been on YT before and was uploaded in July 2022.

In summary, there are substantial cultural and commercial digitisation benefits for music archives as we can see.  It can also present a few challenges along the way such as Quality Control, Rights Management, Monetisation Modeling etc.Thankfully, the digitisation benefits for music archives outweigh all of these and the process has not only preserved these invaluable cultural artefacts but also revitalised interest in them.  As technology continues to advance, the digitisation and discovery of archive music and music film and video content will continue to expand, further embedding them into the contemporary cultural landscape.

ITV Content Services specialise in digitally transferring and restoring film and videotape footage from obsolete legacy formats and enabling them to be released in high-definition digital files, often coupled with additional supporting content such as interviews and documentaries. If you would like to know more or discuss the potential of your own film and videotape archives then please contact our team.

ITV Content Services

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Leeds
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www.itvcontentservices.com

Email:content.services@itv.com