For many years, children
have desired various forms of entertainment. In particular, music and film topped
the list for children and teenagers, until the video game craze took over and
became a formidable force within the entertainment industry. Consequently, the
music, TV, film, and video industries were forced to become more creative in
order to remain popular in the minds of teens and kids. One example of this is
the Kidz Bop brand that was originally
launched in 2000 to provide alternative versions of pop songs mainly for young
people aged 5-12 years.
What better way is there to keep
children, tweens, and teens interested, other than to insert them directly into
the equation? The idea that the Kidz Bop
founders Cliff Chenfield and Craig Balsam conceived, to have young people
perform covers of current pop hits, was a brilliant example of such. Chenfield
speaks to Pacific Standard Magazine
about the CD series that has morphed into a million-dollar multimedia business,
and he stresses that their intention is to further “kid-cool and
parent-friendly” entertainment content for all ages. Kidz Bop is a total hit, as evidenced by the fact that the albums
consistently debut high on the Billboard 200
and their website following of over 900,000 youth. Kidz Bop now includes Kidz Star USA Talent Search,
which is a national talent search competition for children under the age of 15.
The winner wins a major RCA recording
contract, cool prize packages, and an appearance in a Kidz Bop commercial and music video. Today, Kidz Bop has become a safely moderated social networking and video
site that features games, contests, photo and video uploads, fan pages, and a
music-listening forum for kids to have fun and be creative. Kidz Bop even has: books; magazines;
clothing; toy instruments; DVDs; a pop dance group; a Wii video game; an iOS
app; and even a weekly SiriusXM Radio
show called Kidz Bop Block Party.
Chenfield mentions on Radio.com
that the Kidz Bop success has carved
out other opportunities that may include finding, promoting, and developing
child stars in the future. By connecting to kids directly from the Internet,
and broadening their media offerings, they definitely have the foundation for
these endeavors.
Despite this brand’s success, there are
of course people who are anti-Kidz Bop
because they feel that the original pop songs are being ruined because of the
watered down, kid-friendly versions. I disagree because, as a parent, I do not
want my child listening to some of the inappropriate lyrics that many pop songs
currently contain, despite the catchy hooks and melodies. The Kidz Bop songs and website provide an
outlet for them to enjoy versions of the songs they enjoy that are not harmful
to their emotional or social development; as well as social networking that is
safe from predators or bullies. For these reasons, Art of Audio Productions would be honored to produce audio for
media similar to Kidz Bop’s. It would
be amazing to be a part of something that has proven, and continues, to be a
positive experience for many, many kids who need entertainment that is tailored
just for them! Why not ask a kid what they think?
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