The Purpose of

Music Videos

What is a Music Video?• A Music Video is a video recorded performance that is made to

accompany a song. This usually entails a theme or some kind of storyline in which the main artists/singers/bands pretend to be characters to create the sense of a narrative. Here are some popular music Videos:

The purpose…

• The initial and primary purpose of a Music Video was to promote the tracks sales and also the artist. Long ago, it was an inventive way to advertise a song in order to make it more popular.

• Music videos do also allow fans to feel closer to a artist/band and gives listeners/viewers a better understanding of their song.

• It is a great marketing technique, especially when the artist is endorsing a product, or have some of there fellow celebrity contacts join them in the video.

• They were originally known as Promos. • Nowadays they are commonly used to allow singers to boast about what

they have (money clothes and wealth), what others don’t have and start feuds with other artists. E.g. Miley Cyrus. However a lot of music videos have deeper plots and narrative in order to teach people lessons and morals. Sadly, at this present time being offensive, provocative and intoxicated seem to be a reoccurring factor in Music Videos.

Synergy in Music Videos

• Synergy in music videos is used to promote a brand by getting the artist to endorse it. By using product placement, sales of said brand can increase dramatically as well as get it a lot of publicity an coverage. The fact that it is a musical artist would allow for the brand to become well known with that particular audience.

Extension of Outlets

• Music Videos can be played on a variety of platforms, such as television shows, music channels, websites YouTube, blogs, social media, CDs and DVDS.

• Allowing access to music videos through so many platforms ensures that it will get enough coverage and press in the media. The key is to keep people talking about. So having a broad range of viewing them can increase sales of the song.

How it helps…• Music videos are useful for a band or performer because it

allows the to target a specific audience and also helps them to become more well known and popular – hopefully increasing there record sales.

• For a creative director it allows them to have creative control over a large production, which they can be noted for; if the video becomes popular other artists and production teams may approach them. And a big pay Cheque…

• A Music Television Channel may use a certain band or artist, regularly play there music videos in order to increase the record sells of that artist. They will receive more money doing so.

• To make a film more popular, a film company may have part of their movie featured in a popular artist or bands music video in order to make the film more popular.

The First Music Video• Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen is believed to be the first ever

music video. The song was released in the England in 1975. The band was on tour abroad and could not make it to Top Of The Pops.

• They recorded the video in order to aid their sales due to their absence. It’s almost 9 minutes long and was considered un-radio friendly. Their record company didn’t think any radio station would play it.

• Michael Jackson was the first person to ever create a Music Video in the style of a film, it has a start, middle and end. It was innovative and the starting point of storylines in Music Videos. His first actual video was “Don’t stop til’ you get enough”.

• The first Music video ever played on MTV was Video Killed The Radio Star by The Buggles.

Have you ever noticed…Music videos usually have 1, 3, or 5 (5 or more) main people in the videos and then some extras whom the focus is diverted from. The person in the middle is usually the main figure in the song. This is to make them look more powerful. E.G

Three

Five or more

Same pose!

One