Purpose of Music Video

Brief History of the Genre

Music video started in the mid 60's when musicians like The Beatles were in such demand that they were unable to be in all the places they were needed.They made music videos that they sent to music shows like Top of the Pops so they didn't need to appear on the show in person but could show the music video instead: an example of this is Strawberry Fields Forever . Artists who also did this were bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Animals and The Small Faces.

In the 70's the idea of making music videos became increasingly popular with more and more artist having music videos made for them: for example Queen, David Bowie, The Jackson Five, Roxy Music and Abba.

In the 80's music videos became a core part of the music industry. As artists could advertise themselves and their music to the consumers, not just with their music with but with visual represention of their band. In 1981 MTV come on air a music video channel that played music videos 24-7 the first music video played on MTV was Video Killed The Radio Star-The Buggles with this there was a need for artists to make music videos this cause a massive 'Brit Invasion' of the US charts in the 80's as it was mainly British artists making music videos these included Duran Duran, Adam and the Ant, The Cure, Michael Jackson and Aha.

Promotional Benefits

Music videos represent the track, so it can be an opportunity for the artist and their music to be remembered. It gives the record company more control over how they would like the artist to be represented.

Extension of Income

Music videos are a good way of getting the public interested in the artist, keeping them in the public eye so that people keep buying their album, sometimes even renewing interest in an older album. Thriller-Michael Jackson is a good example of renewing public interest by using a music video this because the Thriller album was already successful but Michael wanted to make a music video for the song Thriller but the record company didn't him to make one but he still the record let Michael make one but the music video had to funded by him The music video to Thriller which was a short film lasting about 13 minutes, the musc video itself is often referred to as the greatest music video ever, Thriller proved to have a profound effect on pop culture, and was named "a watershed moment for the [music] industry" for its unprecedented merging of filmmaking and music. Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the "most successful music video", selling over 9 million units.In 2009, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receive this honor, for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant and will be preserved for all time.

Extension of Outlets

Television

MTV
VH1
Kerrang
Hits TV
etc.

Internet

Youtube
VodPod
Video Cure
etc.

Download

I-Pod
Mobile Phone
Blackberry
etc.

Link to film or TV programmes (synergy)

Most music video have clip from film appear in them as a part of the narrative especially if the song is apart of the film's soundtrack and if they have appeared in a show like the X-factor they may have tv clips and some music videos have celebrities appear in there music videos sometimes artists appear in another artists music video for example Tenacous D sometimes appears Foo Fighters' music videos.