THE HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS
A music video is a brief film which enters with visuals and is commonly produced for promotional or aesthetic reasons.
Music videos of today are now used mostly for marketing purposes to promote the sales of musical records.
1920's Music videos of today are now used mostly for marketing purposes to promote the sales of musical records.
Ben Bernie 'sweet Georgia brown' song.(1925)
Bessie Smith 'St Louis Blues'(1925)
Music Videos of the 1920's were not edited or in colour as today's music videos. They were simply videos taken of people which were recorded with not as advanced technology as today. Also, unlike today's music videos, they did not use sound within their music, therefore they were mute.
1950's
Elvis Presley 'Jailhouse Rock' (1957)
It wasn't until 1950's in which sound became more familiar within the music video culture. Yes, videos were still uncoloured, but there was sound within the music videos.
1960's
Bob Dylan 'Subterranean Homesick blues' (1965)
The beatles 'Strawberry Fields Forever'
At this point technology had developed in which directors were able to record people in colour. Props were also used, as well as screen cuts which created some sort of effects.
1970's
Queen 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.(1975)
Similar to the 1960's, Videos in the 1970's had developed the ability to catch one's eye. They used tools such as spotlights and smoke machines to enlighten the main subject of the videos. They also used sound.
1980's
Micheal Jackson 'Thriller' (1984)
At this point, music videos have developed very much since the 1920's. For example, there's use of props and also more developed props such as masks, costumes and scenes. They also included light machines and smoke machines in particular videos such as 'Thriller' to create an eerie atmosphere. The music video 'Thriller' is particularly special as it was classed as a 'movie'.
The Purpose Of Music Videos
A music video can also supply a visual in including in something to the sound so the audience can have something to recall to when remembering the song. This way it can stick to audiences even more and introduce an artist to the audience.Music videos provide the audience with a higher apprehension of the song and what it's concerning, then being able to boastfully show and entertain the artist's talent.
The purpose of Music videos:
- Promoting a subject matter etc.
- Raising awareness or promoting a certain subject matter, such as 'where is the love' by the Black Eyed Peas') which raises awareness on the world issues people face such as poverty.
- Artists will also promote films (For example Beyoncé's song 'spirit' which was used in the 2019 Lion King remake).
- Likewise, Artists will promote their albums by releasing a song which relates to their album to come.
Music videos generally have a particular range of people they would like to attract. This is called the Target audience.
An example to explain this further is the music video 'Baby Shark'.
Convention comes into play in music videos quite a lot. Most music videos we come across will be based on a theme. The genre may be Parody, Pastiche, Homage or Referencing. It all depends on the music it collaborates with. This caters for peoples' needs so that viewers can feel comfortable when watching a music video as it will be to their preference. For example, V bozeman 'what is love' is a song which holds the theme of love and romance. The title will also draw people in who want to listen to songs in the theme of romance and love.
Some music videos appear to be surreal, and this draws viewers in. For example, a music video may have an elephant coming out of a shoe. A very surreal music example would be UP&UP
by Coldplay, in which a giant man is back flipping through a forest which is much smaller than him. This has the purpose to shock the viewers which hopefully result in more sales for the company.
At 0:01, there is a scene of a subway, with a turtle swimming through the air. There is a recurring theme of sea life flying through the air, and every day objects flowing through the sea. This could relate to the title 'UP and UP', as things are moving up to a higher level or intensity. Another example would be 2:30 where an abnormally giant man is laying on the edge of land . This can represent the word 'up' which could also mean 'increase', in which the man is increased in size. Towards the end of the video (3:50) a member of the band, presumably, is playing the drums on top of the Earth in which space is seen around.This could symbolise how Coldplay has progressed as a band and how they have reached.
Homage is paying respect to another artist. An example would be 'Thank u, Next' by Ariana Grande, which was released 15 years after the comedy movie 'mean girls' . This music video is based off of the movie 'Mean Girls' by Mark Waters.
At 0:20 of this music video, two girls, which represent Regina George and Gretchen from the movie Mean Girls, rumour what Ariana has done (such as break off an engagement) and repeat her actions so she could some what ''be like her''. At 1:25, Ariana sings , 'Thank you next'. This represents how she is grateful she had her ex, and she's moving on.
Promoting an album with a song
An example would be Rihanna's song single 'Umbrella' (in collaboration with Jay-z) promotes her album 'Good Girl Gone Bad', to promote her new era in music, as in the video it shows her new short cut hair and her clothing is more obscure as we are introduced to Rihanna wearing an all black seductive outfit, in which she has turned from an innocent persona into a more explicit one. In the background are sparks of electricity, which may represent the sparks of being in a relationship. Being in a negative relationship may be the reason she has changed her character.
At 0:42 of this music video, Rihanna stands in a submissive pose which may suggest that she is trying to attract the attention of those who will be physically attracted to her in the video. At 1:00 in the music video, Rihanna sings "I'll be here forever", which shows that she will be by the side of her partner. The water which surrounds her is the rain which represents sadness and troubles, in which she dodges and controls. The title of the song "Umbrella" means that Rihanna is willing to cover and protect a person if they're facing issues.
Extension Of income in music videos
Many producers rely on the less experienced artists to create music, therefore, music videos are available to create.This does allow them to receive a large amount of money and it grows relying on how sought-after the music video is.
A music video will intrigue people to maybe see the band live, or buy a CD or album and the more music videos released for an album, the more income a record get.
For example, Micheal Jackson's 'Thriller' took almost $500 million dollars in sales, the use of the music video had a huge impact on the amount of popularity and sales it got, therefore more money was received.
Promotion of a song with music videos
Promotion of a new artist
Ghanaian British artist Fuse ODG helped to popularise Afrobeats in The United kingdom. He is recognised for his single (2013) 'Antenna' which reached its highest point at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. Fuse ODG was awarded the 'best African act' at the MOBO awards on October the 19th 2013. Recently Fuse ODG won 4 awards at the Urban Music Awards in 2013: Best Music Video, Best Artiste, Best Single and Best Collaboration.
At 0:10 of the music video, fuse odg is introduced, with his stage name on the screen. This could represent introduction to the Afrobeats genre.At 0:22 there's a group of people who proceed to dance African dance moves, this also promotes the culture to the public. At 0:56 Fuse ODG raps "She want chop my P do I look like square?" which is giving the group P Square recognition, as they are also an Afrobeats Group.At 3:44, there are a lot of people dancing together and cheering each other on which tries to send the message that the Afrobeat culture is welcoming and fun.
Extension of outlets
A music video can give the Artist and company various methods to enlarge it's assembly. A music video plays a big role in which a song can be accessed.
Channels such as MTV, and Viva are the origin of celebrity drama and music videos. Production companies will fund the channels to play the music videos on Television, in which their promotion increases the disposal and realisation of the artist.
A vast majority of the public watch music videos online because they can view the videos for free, and they can view them numerous times. Websites (such as youtube) are obliging to production companies and artists due to the fact that they recieve most of their feedback on these websites.
This music video is aimed at young children. Bold and sharp colours are used in this music videos. When a child is young, their eyes are not fully developed, therefore, bright colours are more stimulating and interesting. The use of bold words and letters also educate the youth as well.
Convention comes into play in music videos quite a lot. Most music videos we come across will be based on a theme. The genre may be Parody, Pastiche, Homage or Referencing. It all depends on the music it collaborates with. This caters for peoples' needs so that viewers can feel comfortable when watching a music video as it will be to their preference. For example, V bozeman 'what is love' is a song which holds the theme of love and romance. The title will also draw people in who want to listen to songs in the theme of romance and love.
At 0:17 in this music video, V Bozeman is stood still, eyes closed in which she seems that she is reflecting on life and trying to cleanse her mind. The dark background may represent how she's feeling inside, upset or frustrated, as she doesn't know the true 'Meaning of love'. At 0:28, she is holding her hand against her chest while leaning her head sideways , with an angry expression on her face, which may symbolise the heart ache she experienced. At 0:56, V Bozeman continues using gestures to represent her hurt and confusion. She reaches out to the audience with one hand which creates a connection.
by Coldplay, in which a giant man is back flipping through a forest which is much smaller than him. This has the purpose to shock the viewers which hopefully result in more sales for the company.
At 0:01, there is a scene of a subway, with a turtle swimming through the air. There is a recurring theme of sea life flying through the air, and every day objects flowing through the sea. This could relate to the title 'UP and UP', as things are moving up to a higher level or intensity. Another example would be 2:30 where an abnormally giant man is laying on the edge of land . This can represent the word 'up' which could also mean 'increase', in which the man is increased in size. Towards the end of the video (3:50) a member of the band, presumably, is playing the drums on top of the Earth in which space is seen around.This could symbolise how Coldplay has progressed as a band and how they have reached.
Homage is paying respect to another artist. An example would be 'Thank u, Next' by Ariana Grande, which was released 15 years after the comedy movie 'mean girls' . This music video is based off of the movie 'Mean Girls' by Mark Waters.
At 0:20 of this music video, two girls, which represent Regina George and Gretchen from the movie Mean Girls, rumour what Ariana has done (such as break off an engagement) and repeat her actions so she could some what ''be like her''. At 1:25, Ariana sings , 'Thank you next'. This represents how she is grateful she had her ex, and she's moving on.
Producers' strategies:
Major Label producers often cooperate with main stream artists. These artists frequently hold their songs in charts extensively and sell lots of records, which results in them having an increase in profits.
These producers unremarkably have giant budgets still to utilise for contributing to the creator with tours and music videos. Nearly all of these producers collaborate aside R&B and Pop type artists, since they are desired the most than other styles.
Examples:
BMG Music Entertainment previously was an American record company possessed as a balanced joint agreement connecting the Song corporation of America and the Bertelsmann Music group. This can be said to be a
form of 'synergy' which means two or more organisations will come together to form as one, in which the results combined will be larger than what it would be if they were to work on their own.
Another example would be Beyonce's collaboration with Disney and her song tribute album to the 2019 live action film 'The Lion King'. the film has received $1.6 billion worldwide, and Beyonce's album 'The Lion King: The Gift', has reached second in the billboard charts.
Self producer:
Self producers are artists that produce their own music. Some producers want their videos to be unique and therefore, they will construct their own music videos. And example of an artist who does this is Adele. Adele is an English song write and singer .She has also endorsed a recording contract with XL recordings.
Adele has had nine Brit awards, 18 Billboard music awards, 15 Grammy awards, 5 American music awards and last but not least, 2 Novello awards for the song writer of the year.
Adele has 182 million dollars to her name.
Independent label producers:
An independent label producer consists of minor companies that create along with giving out records. They are not in any connection or funded by the 3 major record labels.
With a net worth of $1 billion, Jay Z is one of the biggest musicians in the world.
major label producers
Major Record labels are substantial companies generally under the power of something called a 'music group'. They manage their own dispersal and publishing companies.
The 3 significant record labels are:
These producers unremarkably have giant budgets still to utilise for contributing to the creator with tours and music videos. Nearly all of these producers collaborate aside R&B and Pop type artists, since they are desired the most than other styles.
Examples:
- Adele is affiliated to XL Recordings.
- Micheal Jackson paid $47.5 million to buy ATV which he claimed the Beatles' catalog. This increased his profits.
- Disney and Pixar collaboration.
BMG Music Entertainment previously was an American record company possessed as a balanced joint agreement connecting the Song corporation of America and the Bertelsmann Music group. This can be said to be a form of 'synergy' which means two or more organisations will come together to form as one, in which the results combined will be larger than what it would be if they were to work on their own.
Another example would be Beyonce's collaboration with Disney and her song tribute album to the 2019 live action film 'The Lion King'. the film has received $1.6 billion worldwide, and Beyonce's album 'The Lion King: The Gift', has reached second in the billboard charts.Self producer:
Adele has had nine Brit awards, 18 Billboard music awards, 15 Grammy awards, 5 American music awards and last but not least, 2 Novello awards for the song writer of the year.
Adele has 182 million dollars to her name.
Independent label producers:
An independent label producer consists of minor companies that create along with giving out records. They are not in any connection or funded by the 3 major record labels.
With a net worth of $1 billion, Jay Z is one of the biggest musicians in the world.
major label producers
Major Record labels are substantial companies generally under the power of something called a 'music group'. They manage their own dispersal and publishing companies.
The 3 significant record labels are: - The universal music group
- Sony music entertainment
- Warner music group
Promoting an album with a song
At 0:42 of this music video, Rihanna stands in a submissive pose which may suggest that she is trying to attract the attention of those who will be physically attracted to her in the video. At 1:00 in the music video, Rihanna sings "I'll be here forever", which shows that she will be by the side of her partner. The water which surrounds her is the rain which represents sadness and troubles, in which she dodges and controls. The title of the song "Umbrella" means that Rihanna is willing to cover and protect a person if they're facing issues.
Extension Of income in music videos
Many producers rely on the less experienced artists to create music, therefore, music videos are available to create.This does allow them to receive a large amount of money and it grows relying on how sought-after the music video is.
A music video will intrigue people to maybe see the band live, or buy a CD or album and the more music videos released for an album, the more income a record get.
For example, Micheal Jackson's 'Thriller' took almost $500 million dollars in sales, the use of the music video had a huge impact on the amount of popularity and sales it got, therefore more money was received.
Promotion of a song with music videos
Artists promote their songs so that musicians can have better music recognition and hopefully, gain a bigger fan base. For example, a song that is about crime/murder. In Rihanna's music video 'Man down', she sings about 'shooting a man down in central station. Her style of music for this particular song, which she sings in her Barbadian accent, which is where she was born. This attracts people from the west indies and Rihanna's fan base to get a insight of her home town and her background, as the setting of this music video is in her home in the Caribbean.
At 4:57 of the music video, Rihanna is distressed and crying after experiencing sexual assault. This concludes to Rihanna 'shooting a man down'.Promotion of a new artist
An artist gets promoted in various different ways, for example, through getting awards, in which they will receive recognition for their music or having their music put onto the Music charts on channel such as MTV in which the public will watch.
Ghanaian British artist Fuse ODG helped to popularise Afrobeats in The United kingdom. He is recognised for his single (2013) 'Antenna' which reached its highest point at number 7 on the UK Singles Chart. Fuse ODG was awarded the 'best African act' at the MOBO awards on October the 19th 2013. Recently Fuse ODG won 4 awards at the Urban Music Awards in 2013: Best Music Video, Best Artiste, Best Single and Best Collaboration.
At 0:10 of the music video, fuse odg is introduced, with his stage name on the screen. This could represent introduction to the Afrobeats genre.At 0:22 there's a group of people who proceed to dance African dance moves, this also promotes the culture to the public. At 0:56 Fuse ODG raps "She want chop my P do I look like square?" which is giving the group P Square recognition, as they are also an Afrobeats Group.At 3:44, there are a lot of people dancing together and cheering each other on which tries to send the message that the Afrobeat culture is welcoming and fun.
Extension of outlets
A music video can give the Artist and company various methods to enlarge it's assembly. A music video plays a big role in which a song can be accessed.
A vast majority of the public watch music videos online because they can view the videos for free, and they can view them numerous times. Websites (such as youtube) are obliging to production companies and artists due to the fact that they recieve most of their feedback on these websites.
