The purpose of music videos

The purpose of music videosEmma Swann

Availability of artistsThe availability of the artist is the time that artists are free to do things such as performances and appearances. Sometimes it is a struggle for artists to be available a lot of the time as they are busy making new music. Not being available a lot could be an issue for artists as

they may get lost in the background of music and sometimes it is good to be in the spotlight in the music industry to gain fans and to gain popularity

Example- Queen• At the end of 1975, Queens 'bohemian rapsody' was at

number 1 for 9 consecutive weeks. At the time top of the pops was on air and whoever was number 1 that week was expected to perform live each week.

• To prevent having to go back each week to perform, Queen made a music video. This also benefited them as the song was complex and difficult to perform each week live.

Example- award ceremoniesAnother example of the availability of artists could be award ceremonies. Sometimes when an artist receives an award, they are busy doing things such as a tour or recording music so they pre record an acceptance speech to be played live.

Pans people • If artists couldn’t perform live, the pans people

would of had to dance to the music. They would do a similar dance to most songs they perform.

• As they did this a lot, it could get repetitive and boring.

Promotional• A main way for artists to promote a song or

themselves is to produce a music video. It is a form of advertisement and has been a popular form of promotion for a while.

• The first music video was aired on MTV in 1981 and since then we have aired many music video channels such as 4music and Kerrang.

Example- LMFAO

https://youtu.be/KQ6zr6kCPj8

LMFAO’s ‘party rock anthem’ is a good example of a promo video as the video and dance routine within the dance (shuffling) was more well known than the actual artist as they were not well known at the time of releasing this song and video.

Creating a brand• Sometimes creating a brand for an artist is more

important than the actual music. If the artist has a good brand image and is well known for themselves rather than the music then it will promote their music.

• Sometimes creating an image is greater than the quality of the music.

Example- one direction• An example of creating a brand image would be One direction.• Although their music is well known, their brand image is shown by

selling merchandise such as lunchboxes, pens, bedding and mugs.• They also do things such as radio interviews and talk shows so

you can get to know them and their brand image in order to promote their music.

• Also, they try their hardest to not appear badly in the press because they have a youngish fan base and don’t want to seem as bad role models.

Example- Ed Sheeran• Another example would be Ed Sheeran.• A way in which he creates a brand image is by having

versatility in his music genre. He mixes genres like rap, pop and indie.

• This creates a brand image as there is no one else like him in the music industry currently and he is fresh and modern.

Marketing an imageBoth these artists have a completely different image which appeals to a different audience. Taylor swift is a pop artist and has a ‘good girl’ kind of image. Her look is like the majority of girls right now. She has a typical girl look which will appeal to her target audience which is mainly girls as they can relate to it.

On the other hand Kanye West appeals to a completely different audience. His genre is rap and therefore his audience is more boyish guys.

Extension of income• A factor which can extend an artists income is through

making a music video.• If a member of the public watches a music video and it

catches their eye then it could increase sales of their music and maybe increase of merchandise or concert tickets sold.

• If a lot of people are liking a music video and sharing it to other people then it raises awareness for the artist.

Example - product placement• Product placement can be used in music videos to extend

income. The company will pay you to include their product in the video as if a celebrity is using a product then it will make their fans and watchers consider using it.

• An example of product placement is in Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's ‘telephone’ video where diet coke and virgin phones are used.

Example- merchandise• Another way of extending income for artists is to sell

merchandise.• A lot of artists do this but people who tend to sell more

merchandise are bands as they can go cheesy with their products.

• For example, the spice girls brought out a spice collection with their names.

• A main band who sells merchandise is one direction who appeal to a more younger audience with their merchandise by selling things like dolls and lunchboxes.

Extension of income• Music videos are shown through a lot of devices and players. • There are channels on the TV for example such as MTV, 4music and

Kerrang which show music videos and are usually specific to genre.• There are also streaming channels online like YouTube and vevo which

show music videos as well.• Music videos can be watched through most devices now a days like

smartphones, tablets and TV’s.• With all these ways to watch music videos, it is hard to get away from them

and it proves that making a music video will extend your income as they are so popular these days.

Synergy• Synergy is when 2 elements work together. In the form of

music videos, it is when 2 media products work together. • In these situations both the artist and the producers benefit

from it as they work together to promote each other.

Example- Sam Smith• An example of synergy in music videos would be the new

James bond song which is by Sam Smith and is called ‘the writings on the wall’.

• This song benefits both Sam Smith and the film ‘Spectre’ as the fans of James bond who may not be aware of Sam may develop an interest of his music and vice versa.

Extension of outlets• Music videos allow artists to extend their outlets which they are

available on. Over the years, more and more outlets have been created and this is why music videos are such an important factor.

Examples would be:• Smart phones• Tablets• TV music channels• YouTube

The end of the music channel

• In the past music channels were the main thing to watch music videos on. A main music programme was top of the pops.

• The music channel is facing a problem where other platforms are taking over.

• Online streaming is the main competitor as it is so easy to access and is available on the go with smartphones.

Producers strategiesThere are different types of artists:• Major• Independent• Artist self produced

As these artists have different aims, their music videos all have different purposes and all want a different outcome for their videos. Even though they have different aims, the music video is an important factor to all of them.

Major record labelsFour multi national corporations dominate the music industry. These are called the majors:• Universal• Sony music• Warner brothers• EMI

The majors are subsidiary's of conglomerates which own other majors which are in other fields such as film.

Major independentsMost majors own their own subsidiary's. They do this to reach a wider audience and more genres. Examples of major independents are:• Columbia• Island• Syco• RCA• Virgin

Major label strategies- VEVO• VEVO is an online platform which streams music videos.• It launched in December 2009• A strategy that VEVO use is to make a profit through

advertising. They put adverts on before the video which you have to watch.

• They offer music from three out of four of the ‘big four’ major record labels.

Major label strategies- YouTube• Another example of major labels using strategies is YouTube.• Like VEVO they also use advertisements to gain money.• Also, they have a like dislike share and comment option which

helps with word of mouth (mainly the sharing). This makes YouTube have more viewers.

Independents• Independent companies are niche companies which specialize

in certain genres.• As they are small companies, they tend to only sign a certain

amount of acts in comparison to major record labels.• An example of a successful independent company is Warp

records.

Independent label strategies

• Independent labels focus on their actual music rather than their image. For them, their aim is to make good music rather than actually making a good brand image.

• The music videos that are made are often not as good as videos made by major record labels but it is seen as a stepping stone for future career opportunities.

Artist self produced• Artists who are self produced have the smallest amount of

money to produce their music and are unknown the majority of the time.

• A popular way to self produce themselves is to stream videos of themselves singing in the hope that it goes viral. A popular website to do this is YouTube.

Troye Sivan• Troye Sivan joined YouTube on the 1st of October 2007. As of

26 September 2015 he has over 3.6 million subscribers. • From YouTube he started a music career in which he has now

released an EP which reached number 10 in the Australian charts and is now releasing an album in the next month.