Music Videos Make the Blog

Video Weblogs are the most promising new community tools available since, well, text- and photo-based blogs and MySpace. But while video blogs offer instant access to the potentially embarrassing goings-on behind your next-door neighbor's doors, they have also created a place for fresh content you can't find anywhere else. While the blogosphere continues to expand exponentially, two video blogs — Cliptip and Videos Antville — have become ground zero for music video seekers.

Earnest Jones started Cliptip to lasso the creative inspiration behind overlooked music videos and help promote the medium, which continues to suffer due to shrinking promotional budgets. "Cliptip is [like] the 'staff picks' section at your local indie video store," he says, referencing another fading form. The blog consists mainly of a a carefully edited selection of videos by such revered filmmakers as Jonathan Glazer, groundbreaking musicians like Tom Vek, and cult favorites like the Shins and Aphex Twin. But Jones sometimes throws in fodder too. "Occasionally, I post truly asinine work that is so crap it goes from crap back to guilty-pleasure-good," he says.

Videos Antville follows a different format, allowing anyone enthusiastic enough about a video to share it with the world. Founder Christoph Lincke says the populist approach is exactly the key to the site's success. That means the range of international clips here is much less judicious, but where else could you find the obscure French rap of Non Stop lovingly placed alongside Goldfrapp's sensuous electro-pop? With a loyal readership and numerous regular contributors (and even a new spin-off blog, Shortsville), Videos Antville's limits are bound only by the number of videos available online. As co-administrator Philip Rogosky puts it, "Plenty of people are just looking for something beyond the latest Britney." —Phuong-Cac Nguyen