Haille Elson
Media Studies                                        
Harry

Understanding the purpose of music videos

In this report I will be explaining where people watch and consume music videos today and how this has changed over the past years, how music videos have increased the income for the record company. I will also be explaining how music videos are used to promote a particular song, the artists album.

MTV was one of the first original TV channels to air music videos. It was launched on the 1st of August 1981 and was guided by television personalities called ‘video jockeys’. Originally MTV’s target audience was young adults but now it is mostly teenagers. Particularly secondary school and college students. However, even though MTV is still a relevant source for music videos, Youtube has now become the most popular source for audiences to view music videos. This is because they can enjoy music videos from the convenience of their smartphones.

Also, it was possible for music videos to be consumed via DVDs this enabled companies to make money because they were selling the videos for a certain price and people used to purchase them. However it seems as though people are unlikely to pay for these videos as the alternative methods for viewing music videos such as MTV and Youtube are more popular. In addition music videos can be downloaded on the internet via illegal websites. This has also become a popular source for music videos. Statistics show that 78% of people download music illegally.

 It seems as though the era of using MTV to watch music videos has died down because on YouTube the user is able to choose which music video they would like to watch in comparison to MTV where they can only see a certain playlist that is picked by the host.

Music videos are a creative way for artists to express themselves through the form of visuals. The artists can use this as a form of communication between them and the fan base to generate visceral pleasure and maybe even subliminal messages. Music videos can also be used as a purposeful marketing and promotional tool to attract new fans that might be drawn to the visuals as well as the music. This generates more revenue for the artist and the label.

Music Videos have increased the profits for the record companies because the music videos can entice new people to buy the songs if they really like

Music videos can be used to promote an album. This is useful because when people view the video they might be more interested in the album than if there was a visual accompaniment to go with the music. An example of this is Nicki Minaj's Pinkprint movie. Her music video is 16 minutes long and features three of her songs in one video. The songs included are 'The crying game', 'I lied' and 'Grand Piano'. The genre of her Album seems to be Romance because it features love and heartbreak. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk7DT43hwFw

Also, music videos can be used to promote a synergy with other media sectors, like film. An example of this is the song Let it Go by Idina Menzel. This song gained fame by being associated with the Disney film, Frozen.

Bibliography:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV
https://www.news.com.au/technology/internet-pirates-say-theyd-pay-for-legal-downloads/news-story/703dbe22813d1e0b18e8afccfb467039

https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/1978885/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-music-video