The Purpose of Music Videos

The Purposes of Music Videos Essay (1000 Words)

There can be many different purposes to a music video. One of the main purposes is to sell/promote the band. For example in the music video of Hate to Say I Told You So by The Hives, the name of the band was printed on the drummers drum kit, and badges spelling out their band name was on the guitarist’s guitar strap. These music videos also show the logo made up for the band, so that when people see this logo they familiarise it with the band. Another way of this is Synergistic Marketing. If there is a music video of a band that are wearing matching suits, the image of that band in those suits are printed onto multiple products. For example, bed sheets, room decorations such as picture frames and wallpaper, or smaller products such as plasters, magnets and badges, etc. Bands/artists also make money when they promote other products in their music videos, commonly known as product placement. A company will pay for them to advertise something like their new phone that has been released, which makes them more money.

Another purpose of music videos, is to make the band or artist more money. This is done by the videos being displayed on sites such as YouTube or Vevo, and is shown in adverts. Every time the advert pops up or the video plays the artist or band then receives a payment which makes them more money. Other popular sites that music videos are displayed or there is information about it are, MTV, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Wikipedia, and their official websites.  Artists such as Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas are setting up their own record label, to launch their own music project with Safehouse Records. This is a way of discovering new talent and making music projects, which essentially will make them and the Safehouse more money. If a song is downloaded from iTunes or Spotify, the companies will keep 60-70% of the download price.

Music videos are also made to grab the viewers’ attention and get them more interested in the band or artists music. For example in many music videos they have costumes, some keep the same costumes in all their videos so viewers can relate that costume with the band or artist. There are also lots of dancing and choreography, props, locations/settings, lighting and camera angles. These all make the music videos more appealing and exciting. Even weird and whacky videos grab the viewer’s attention, because they cannot stop watching it. For example Lady GaGa is commonly known for her extraordinary music videos, which essentially could’ve played a role in her claim to fame. All her music videos include multiple costume changes, scenery changes, many props and lots of lighting and camera angles to capture every single frame in the video.

Linking with the above paragraph, the skills/effects in a music video can also make people more interested in listening to the music as they’ll watch the video. An example of a music video that does this, is Eagle Eye Cherry’s Save Tonight. There are effects in this video that stand out and are different compared to other music videos made. In this video it is all one long take, but because it is one person playing multiple characters/roles, there are invisible cuts, the video merges and flows well throughout the whole song. For example he plays a character who robbed a shop and ran outside and was hit by a car and he plays the person who was driving the car at the same time. Some music videos make people interested because they are quite strange, for example Brockhampton’s music video for their song Star. Music videos can also be quite plain and relaxing and don’t involve many effects at all but are still appealing. For example, Sundara Karma’s music video for their song Flame, or Panic! At The Disco’s music video for their song Death of a Bachelor. These music videos are quite like the average music videos compared to Eagle Eye Cherry’s Save Tonight, because they involve many cuts when there are different camera angles.

Directors/filmmakers for music videos made can also be recognised by music videos. This is because the viewers appreciate the skills used to create the videos. An example of this is the music video for Fell in Love with a Girl by The White Stripes. In this, lego is used throughout the whole video, and it is animated to move with the video. For example, in some scenes of this music video, the lego people’s mouths move in time to the song playing. Credit is then given for the ambition and creativity of these types of videos, because they are very time consuming and involve a lot of effort. Another video example that could promote the filmmaker is the music video for Dare by Gorillaz, because of the animation used. These types of music videos can also be a reflection on the music that is made. If there is that much time and effort made for the music video, then there must be a lot more for the music by the band or artist.

Music videos also have the purpose of making the band or artist famous. For example OK Go are famously known for their music videos and because they put a lot of thought and effort into making them, for example their music videos; Here it Goes and Needing Getting. These sort of music videos also give the person listening something to watch whilst they are listening to the music. Some artists who are just starting out don’t have the money to create a large production so they make small videos with their music. An example artist of this is Tash Sultana when she released her song Jungle. She recorded a video of her singing and playing instruments in her living room, which she uploaded to YouTube and it was then released on different sides of social media and she became commonly known for it. 

I think music videos are so popular, because they are making the bands and other companies more money, and it gives the listener something to watch whilst listening to the music. These help the band to grow and become more recognised world wide.