British nu-ravers Klaxons recently announced a music video contest, asking fans to submit their own video-efforts for the song “Totem on the Timeline.” The Brits join groups like CSS, Modest Mouse and The Decemberists in reaching out to listeners to produce music videos for them. Though, unlike the three bands listed above, Klaxons want original material, and not green screen manipulation.

This turn-to-the-fans trend shows how lazy artists are becoming when it comes to making music videos. Back in the good ‘ol days (like, last year), a group would pray Michel Gondry would make their video, and then find someone else to make a cool clip for them. Now, bands lazily hurl some green screen footage of the members playing instruments and hope intrepid/bored/unemployed fans put them on a pirate ship or in the jungle or on a dog or something. When NU wonder-alum Stephen Colbert called out The Decemberists for holding a green screen contest shortly after he held one on his show, he got one part right. Bands really shouldn’t rip off his schtick.

Now, not all user-created videos suck. Junior Boys recently held a similar contest, and the winner for amazing single “In the Morning” really blows my mind. But that doens’t make this trend any less disturbing. Why can’t bands be creative and make their visions come to life on video? They are artists after all, so shouldn’t they be able to express themselves visually as well?

But maybe what disturbs me most is how most of the bands holding these contests actually have made good videos. Modest Mouse’s “Dashboard” video is just bizarre enough to work, while The Decemberist’s clip for “Sixteen Military Wives” is like a shorter Rushmore. Even Klaxons have a great video for “Golden Skans.” So, I want to see more good stuff from them, not some amateur video made by a fanboy.

Of course, if the winning clip is really good, I’ll probably change my tune.