RESEARCH: WHAT IS A MUSIC VIDEO?

RESEARCH: WHAT IS A MUSIC VIDEO?

What is a Music Video?

A music video is a footage which accompanies the song and is only one strand of a much bigger campaign to help in the selling and promotion of an artist. It is evident that within the last three decades videos have evolved and their quality has improved. Music videos first appeared in the late 20’s but became more prominent in the 80’s when MTV started to air them consistently. In the past, most music videos only involved artist performance without further narrative or variety of editing which audience quickly found repetitive and monotonous. However, modern music videos can help the artist to express themselves and convey a message to the viewer. It can also help to interpret or place meaning to the song and tell a story.

 

What is the purpose of a Music Video?

A music video has many purposes and aims. This also varies within genre and artists because of different demands from the intended target audience. Purposes of music videos include:

 



·         Creating/ maintaining a bond with the audience: A music video allows the viewer to connect with the artist if he/she makes an appearance in it and takes an active part. This allows the viewer to feel closer with the performer and therefore likely to watch more of his/hers videos as well as listen to their music regularly. If there is already an established relationship and the viewer is a loyal fan, a music video is a good way to ‘update’ the audience and present them a developed image of the artist or new ideas.  

Fall Out Boy often features in their videos to maintain a relaxed relationship with their audience.

 

·         Narrative: Through the use of their music video an artist can send a message to the audience through a plot or story line. This allows the artist to express themselves and their feelings on a topic of their interest or something that is debated around the world. Often these videos may lack the performance in order to focus on the importance of the moral and place focus on the message. Many artists can also try to portray a controversial issue to put some perspective on a topic which can educate the viewer.



In ‘Take Me to Church’, Hozier has portrayed a heartbreaking story of a gay couple. He raised an important issue and approached a controversial topic in his video.

 

 

·         Establish yourself in a Solo Career: A breakthrough music video can help to establish an ex-member of a band in his/hers solo career. After a fall of a band or leaving a group an artist is likely to start their own path, with their unique style of music and target audience. Therefore to begin that they will need to feature in a music video to promote themselves and inform the audience about their future works.   

 Zayn Malik after leaving One Direction goes on to a solo career and makes a grand entrance with 'Pillow talk'

·         The selling point/a polysemy technique: A music video can be a great selling point, especially when targeted at an appropriate audience. A video can feature different artists which brings together wider audiences and therefore is also a great tool to make money. Videos can be viewed through different sites or TV networks, like You Tube or MTV, which can also benefit the artist and gain profit.  

 

 In 2014 Fall Out Boy released 'The Young Blood Chronicles'. The full album was performed in a form of a film featuring different artists, including Elton John, available with an uncut version.

·         Publicity: A music video can help in the publicity of an artist. Many modern performers cause controversy through their explicit music videos or aspects that can upset some viewers. This places them in a public view and therefore gains publicity which can benefit their career. This can also make the video a point of discussion thus placing further publicity for the performer.

 

 'Blurred Lines' placed Robin Thicke in a public view due to explicit content and objectification of women

 

·         Reinvention of an Artist: After taking a break an artist can release a music video to make a greater come back. The video would help them to regain a fan base  On the other hand they can make a new video to show off their new image or style and allow the audience to know they have ‘reinvented’ themselves. This is usually done when the artist has gone through a complete metaphor but wants to continue working in the music industry.

After leaving Disney, Miley Cyrus re-invents herself and decides to show her progression through her change of style.

·         Promote a Film: When an artist works alongside a film production and creates a track for the movie it is likely that they will create a music video that will be influenced by the film. This allows to sell both the film and the song, which is an example of synergy. In addition an artist and the film will bring own audiences which allows for wider appeal.

 In 'The Bodyguard' Whitney Houston has taken on the lead role as well as created the soundtrack for the film.

 

 

·         Entertain: Lastly a music video can be simply used for entertainment purposes. A good video will be enjoyable to watch and can be a great addition to enhance a song. Furthermore some fans like to see a video to their favourite song and are likely to be excited about it.  

 Rihanna created an enjoyable to watch music video for her dance track 'We Found Love'

Classic Conventions of a Music Video

Gorillaz signature style.

Music videos need certain conventions to meet the expectation of the target audience and please the viewer. Many videos are symbolic in their narrative and have a deeper meaning or representation of different denotations. Moreover, some artist use consistent symbolism in their music videos. For example Gorillaz use animation as their signature style, therefore they are easy to distinguish in the industry. Although common conventions vary across different genres, it is evident that many still hold similarities within them and often artists rely on the generic codes to create their music video and appeal to a mainstream audience.

·         Artist Performance, including lip syncing: The artist is likely to feature in the music video and deliver the song. This allows to build and/or maintain the relationship with the audience and allow the artist to preset him/herself in a certain way according to their persona or style. 

·         Narrative: Sometimes the performance is more prominent depending on genre however most music videos can have a smaller symbolic narrative. On the other hand an artist can devote all of the video to the narrative, taking a smaller part, and trying to convey a message to the audience.

'Pretender' by Foo Fighters is predominantly a performance however has a symbolic narrative to it.

 

·         Glamourisation of the artist: Especially in the pop genre, the artist is often the focus of the video trying to present themselves in the best way to appeal to mainstream audience and possibly set an example.  They become commodities and are an attraction themselves.

 

 

·         Objectification of women: Modern music videos, especially of mainstream genre, tend to sexualize females and objectify them. This is often done through costume or the representation of men who take dominance over a group of subordinate females.



Ariana Grande is a young and attractive pop singer who uses her image to sell her music to a mainstream audience.

 

·         Visually appealing: In addition, conventional music videos often utilize technology to create good quality videos that attract with their visuals. This is often done in mainstream music videos because of their greater budget and large appeal. In addition mainstream genre are upbeat which matches colourful and fast passed visuals.    

 

Synergy

Music videos are an example of polysemy and often help the artist in the sale of his/hers album/single. Synergy is the selling of a product across different media platforms which allows to globalize the product and attract larger audiences. These are the different media and methods that an artist can promote his/hers product on:

·         TV- Television is a great tool to promote an artist and his/hers work. They can attend events or talk shows which can gain them publicity and place in the public view.

·         Radio- Radio allows to target a mainstream audience as, although it is less common, people still listen to different stations. Radio allows for interviews without the need to watch the interview which is comfortable for the busy listeners.

·         Social Media- Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc play a massive role in the selling of a product, especially today when audiences actively use these sites on a regular basis. Artists can share their work on a global scale and gain publicity in a cheap way.

·         Print- Artists feature in magazine issues as well as newspapers. They can be interviewed and give out news and facts about themselves to establish their style or maintain their image in the industry. They can also give their adverts to magazines.

However the lack of synergy can have a great impact on the artist success in the industry. They will have a limited appeal and less fans because of their localised fame. This results in less sells and unsuccessful career. This shows how significant is advertising and synergy in general and how it plays a large part in the stages of production.

Examples of Synergy: Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy on BBC Radio

Fall Out Boy Official Twitter account

Fall Out Boy on the Ellen Show



Fall Out Boy featuring in a Rock Sound issue

 

                                                                                                                

 

Audience Impact

Audience is a crucial part in the music industry, especially in the post-production stage. They are necessary to allow the artist succeed and maintain their fame.

These are some of the ways in which audience impacts the music industry and why it is important:

·         Measuring Success: Audience allows the artist to measure his/hers success. This is because they are the ones who can chose to buy the product amongst many other ones, as the industry is in constant competition. If the album is disliked then there will be less interest in the work thus indicating that the artist did in fact fail to create a successful product. This shows that audience can help the artist in measuring their success.

 

·         Helping the Artist to Improve: If the artist failed and did not create a sufficient product an audience can help the artist to improve through constructive feedback. This is possible due to the rise of technology, making it easier to interact through sites like Facebook or Twitter. People also leave comments on sites like You Tube or Vimeo thus helping the performer. The artist can take the feedback and use it when creating a new product and therefore having a bigger chance of succeeding and appealing to the intended target audience. 

 

 

·         Loyal Fan Base: Most artists have a loyal fan base who are an important part of their success. The benefits of a loyal fan base includes the complete devotion to an artist and gives a sense of security for the performer who can rely on this group of people when releasing a product. This is important due to the high competition which makes it harder for some artist to breakthrough or release a satisfactory product and pleasing an audience. However a fan base can make it easier and help the performer to succeed.

 

 

·         The Audience Demand: Furthermore, audience has an impact on the supply of the products. It is the fans who demand a product which is why they are produced in a first place. Without the audience demand the artist would not supply it as there was no request. This balances out and if the artist supplies a product for a low demand they risk making a loss and therefore being unsuccessful.

 

·         Audience Reception: Lastly, how audience react to the given product also impacts the artist. This became more prominent in the last two decades when artists started to think ‘outside the box’ and created more controversial music videos. This started to effect the audience and placed performers in the public view for their contents. Sometimes controversy or upsetting images can cause a loss of fans.

 

These are some examples of controversial music videos:

 

‘Blurred Lines’ – Robin Thicke.

Caused controversy due to explicit objectification of women.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Wrecking Ball’ – Miley Cyrus

Caused controversy due to the fact that Miley is associated with Disney and therefore has a young target audience. The video content could upset the younger viewers or set a bad example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘All of the Lights’ – Kanye West

Caused controversy due to the moderate flashing images which could upset audience with epilepsy.

‘Like a Prayer’- Madonna

Caused controversy due to the portrayal of Black Jesus and her kissing the religious figure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘Save Rock and Roll’ – Fall Out Boy

Caused controversy due to a homosexual singer, Elton John, representing God.

 

 

Technology Advancements

Over the rapid improvement of technology, the music industry has also improved greatly and gained major benefits. The music video industry has become more advanced and therefore improved in the following areas:

·         Quality: The general quality of music videos has improved. You can now view them in standard or HD quality, which is available due to the improvement of cameras and filming equipment thus allowing the audience to enjoy the videos in the way that suits them best.  

·         Editing and Special Effects: Modern music videos utilize CGI and green screens to help them create an original and unique product. This allows them to stand out from other artist and compete against other products. In addition the editing in general has become much more fluent and there is more variety which is possible due to the technology advancement.

Coldplay’s 'Up and Up' captures surrealism in a realistic way due to the advancement of technology.

·         Advertisement and Publicity: Today technology plays a key role in the process of adverting a product. Social media, in particular, helps the artist to promote their work across the world without investing too much money into it. Official websites also help in the selling of a product or promoting an artist. TV is another way to gain publicity and promote yourself though talk shows or music channels, which is also an example of technology advancement.

 

 

·         Measuring own success: Technology helps an artist to monitor his or hers success of a product. This is possible through sites like You Tube which enables you to check the number of views of your product as well as the amount of likes or dislikes from other people. This can benefit the artist who is able to see whether they are effective and appealing to an audience.

 

·         Diversity: Due to the rise of technology, independent or niche artists are able to share their work online and therefore gain fans and appeal to audiences without the high budget. This allows for more diverse music industry and the upbringing of new and original artists.

 

Threats caused by Technology Advancements

On the other hand, the music video industry is also threatened by the evolution of technology. This is because it works towards the audience comfort and eliminates the possibilities in which you can watch a music video. These are some of the threats to the music video industry:

 

·         Mp3 Download: Today it is possible to listen to music offline. There are various sites which allow you to download a song of your choice and listen to it unlimitedly for free. This eliminates music videos as it shows that you don’t need to sit down and take you time watching the clip but can listen to the song on the move in your own comfort. However, most of these sites are illegal and violate rights of the artist making it harder for them to earn money as well as monitor their success. 

 

·         Spotify and Itunes/ Sound Cloud: These are other sites where you can legally listen to the Mp3 without the download, although you can also buy the song to listen to offline. These sites make it easier for audience to access any song without watching the videos. This eliminates the music video industry as, similarly to the Mp3 download, you are able to listen to any song without having to spend time watching the video. It also enables you to listen ‘on the go’.

 

 

·         Devices: Devices like Mp3 Players or IPod Shuffle help the audience to listen to music ‘on the go’ and be flexible with using it. They’re comfortable and easy to carry around as well as simple to use, therefore appealing to different ages. Such devices eliminate the music video industry because they allow to listen to music without the need of watching the video alongside.

 

 

·         Censorship: Due to the technology advancement it is harder to monitor censorship as viewers are enabled to get uncut versions of videos. Sites like You Tube or less famous viewing sites allow to watch music videos to any audience. This makes it easier for younger audiences to view videos with explicit content and therefore they become exposed to images of drugs, violence, nudity etc. 

  

The Future of Music Videos

I think the music video industry is at risk and likely to downfall in future. This is because over the last years the technological advancement has influenced it so much and therefore it is likely that it will continue to do so, which can potentially end it all at once. In addition, it is also evident that there is less media that displays music videos. Out of the few websites, You Tube is the most popular one and the whole video industry cannot solely rely on just one site forever. In addition, although there are TV channels that devote their programs to music videos it is evident that these also start to die out and are likely to disappear eventually. Channels like MTV used to be heavily associated with music however now they try to attract audiences through shows and series like ‘Jersey Shore’, ‘Teen Mom’ or ‘Faking It’ to appeal to a young and mainstream audience. This clearly shows that even the music channels know that the demand for music videos decreased rapidly.

On the other hand, many artists have a loyal fan base who follow their latest products and are likely to watch their music videos. They would help the artist to continue making music videos and there would be a demand for them, hence saving the music video industry. If there’s a demand then, possibly, there will be more sites created to match the requests and supply the products.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is evident that music videos are a significant part of an artist campaign. They help to promote the artist and build a connection with the viewer, thus impacting the success of the performer. I learnt the common conventions of a music video which is beneficial as I am now aware what codes are necessary to create a successful product, appealing to a mainstream audience. I think that lip syncing and artist performance is a crucial part of a music video as I value the relationship it allows to build and therefore helps you maintain the loyal fan base. Therefore I would like to use this conventions in my product later on. After looking at the possible advertisement methods of a campaign I realized that synergy is also key to success. Without the marketing, the artist could suffer a loss as not enough people would be aware of the product. This is why in my campaign I need to create an effective poster where I can inform the audience about my product. Lastly from looking at the rise of technology I realised that this is a debatable topic and has a mass influence on the music industry. Some of these are benefits whereas the others are in fact the opposite and could ruin the music industry. I think that this knowledge is beneficial as I am now aware of the basics of the music industry and have fundamental knowledge which I can develop further.