The Purpose of Music Videos

THE PURPOSE OF MUSIC VIDEOS

At 12:01am on August 1, 1981, history was made when MTV, the first 24-hour video music channel, launched onto our television sets and literally changed our lives with the birth of the music video. The first video ever played on the network was ironic —

 “Video Killed The Radio Star” by The Buggles 

ANDREW GOODWIN'S THEORY 

Andrew Goodwin believes there are 6 features of music videos. These include:

1. A relationship between lyrics and visuals. This is where the lyrics are represented through imagery in the video.

2. A relationship between music and visuals. This is less literal representation of the lyrics, however, the tone and atmosphere of the video reflects that of the music video. They can amplify, illustrate and disjuncture;

• Illustrate= Music videos can use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of lyrics and genre
• Amplify= The meanings of the song are expanded by the visuals
• Disjuncture= This is where the meaning of the song is completely ignored.

3. Demonstrating the music genre's characteristics.

4. Record Label demands of close ups of the artist, or possible developed motifs which recur across their work.

5. Frequent reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

6. Inter-textual reference.

THE PURPOSE OF MUSIC VIDEOS

1) Advertisement:

Music Videos  are a way of getting an artist's work out there. When they were first introduced, the only way they were viewed were on weekly chart shows, which would guarantee views. However, now a days anyone can access music videos instantly and anyone can distribute them. Now non mainstream artists can publish music videos and have them be seen.

More popular artists may also make brand deals and feature them in their videos. This associates them with popular brands and makes more money.

More often than not, there is some form of self promotion featured in an artists music video.Whether its for their debut album, image or tour, self promo is prominent in videos.

Introduction)

Music videos can introduce an artist to the audience, giving the audience a better understanding of their image/ message, and showcasing their talent.

Branding)

Part of promoting an artist is selling an image. This is an essential role of the record labels when selling to an audience, as they need to create a relatable figure. This can be done in music videos through mood, setting, attitude and costume.

Provide Visuals)

Providing a visual as well as an audio piece for the audience can give them something to recall when remembering the song, causing it to stick in a viewers mind. Often the more out there, the better.

MONEYYY)

At the end of the day music is an industry, and where there's an industry there is investment. Music videos promote sales, YouTube views create money. Music videos provides synergy within the industry also. For instants songs are sometimes made to promote movies as part of the soundtrack/ vise versa.

Another example of cross media opportunities are music magazine. These magazines are specifically designed to target music listeners with articles, posters, pictures and exclusives.