History Of Music Videos - Miss Georgiou

A music video is a short film that accompanies an artists song, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Music videos represent a very important part of the the music industry. They have become a venue where music artists are given a chance to impress the public not just vocally but visually with their looks or moves. Music videos help widen artists fan bases, as some may become an instant fan because of the music videos that they see on TV. Over the years music videos have changed rapidly and improved, changing the ways audiences watch them. The ways in which music videos have changed is primarily because of the development of technology that gives the modern era to enhance the way they create a music video. Due to the development of technology, this has affected the way audiences watch music videos for example Youtube, TV charts and iTunes etc. Also there are a variety of genres nowadays compared to the past due to the creativity with the new technology that allows artists have to expand their music videos. 

The music industry simply consists of companies and individuals making money by creating and selling music. The individuals and organisations that operate within the music industry are: the musicians who compose and perform the music; the companies and professionals who create and sell recorded music, those that present live music performances,  professionals who assist musicians with their music careers and those who broadcast music e.g journalists and musical instrument manufacturers. The role of the music industry is simply to entertain audiences with music. The music industry has developed since the advent widespread of digital distribution of music. Back then the way people would listen to music were through CD's, but now because of the rise in technology, the largest music retailer in the world is now digital:Apple Inc's iTunes Store.

The ways in which people consume music has differed throughout the years, from the jukeboxes 1920 to the CD albums and music videos to this present day. The music industry has evolved into a wider platform where artists can distribute their music vastly. Before, people would listen to their artists songs on radios, jukeboxes and record players. Nowadays people can consume their music in different ways for example audio distribution sites such as Soundcloud and Spotify, youtube (video sharing platform - music videos), CD albums and iTunes e.g. All these destinations of listening to music or watching them are available on different platforms of devices such as smartphones, computers/laptops and tablets. With the accessible availability of consuming music, this has enhanced the ways in which artists create and sell their music to their audiences. This involves the way artists illustrate their music videos, with the use of TV charts for music videos creating competition 



The first music channel, MTV (music television) broadcasted the first music videos on it's first day, August 1, 1981. MTV are owned by Viacom Media Networks which is a conglomerate that operates many television channels and Internet brands, including BET, Comedy Central, Nikelodeon and Vh1. The first music video ever to be aired on MTV was 'Video Killed the Radio Star' by the Buggles. As you can see in the video that its not as advanced as videos are these days due to the lack of technology. The budget for the music video was $50,000, which nowadays is not primarily enough for music videos created today. What was relied on in the video were basic special effects such as overlapping silhouettes in the beginning and also cartoonish filters. In comparison to the video, I found that will.i.iam ft Nicki Minaj song samples from video killed the radio stair. The song was released on September 3, 2010 and appeared on Nicki Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday. What I found from the video is that it included a range of special effects for example fast duplicates of the dancers and coloured Chinese writing popping up in the background. There were similarities within the video for example will.i.am shown cartoonish, this is also seen in the video killed the radio star video. However, you can see the clear distinction of how the effects are seen as will.i.am cartoon filter looks more sharp and believable. Furthermore costumes are developed as in the check it out music video, the concept was to capture Korean culture through the costumes. This is evident as we see dancers and both artists will and Minaj wear futuristic Korean culture attire. The use of this is beneficial for the artist and record label as it attracts a new audience (Koreans) as it shows that the artist appreciates their culture. Its beneficial for the record label as the bigger the artist get, the more recognition the label will get as audiences will want to find out they're background details and what label they belong to and so on. Also it is beneficial for the audience because the new wider audience will be intrigued and feel more involved in the artists life because they see apart of their culture.

Youtube is a video sharing website that is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. Founders for the site are Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim and it launched in February 14, 2005. The worldwide site has become a popular platform for people all over to broadcast themselves by simply uploading videos. With 76 language versions available through their suer interface, theres no reason to why anyone couldn't be able to share themselves. Media corporations such as BBC, Vevo and Hulu etc. showcase some of their material via YouTube, as part of the YouTube partnership. Vevo is one that is vital for music artists from two of of the biggest music companies; UMG and SME that want to share their music videos on the vevo service. Most music videos are released via Vevo due to its 75kHD  videos, exclusive original programming and live concert performances from artists. This is beneficial for the audience as they can watch streams of music videos on different platforms such as smartphones (apps), laptop, TV apps etc, this keeps them connected and informed with whats been released. 

Most Watched Music Videos

Here is the top 10 most watched music videos ever on youtube. The most watched music video as of June, 2015 is PSY - Gangnam Style which has views of 2,355,766,836 on youtube. The video was uploaded on July 15,2012 and belongs to the pop genre due to its elements of instruments, comical theme and performance styled video. I believe the reason why its at the top of the list is because the song itself is catchy and radio stations played it frequently. Increasing its popularity the music video complimented the song well by showcasing a signature dance move which applies to the song which made many copy. Due to its combination of Korean and english, this widen the audience for the song and also created a sense of fun togetherness with everyone. The uniqueness and popularity of the song and its music video is understandable as the pop dance song features many conventions that appealed to many especially through the humour included in it. 

Music Budgets

Here is a list of the top 10 music videos with the highest budgets. At the top is Michael Jackson ft Janet Jackson with "Scream" which was directed by Mark Romanek. The music video was produced on a budget of $7,000,000 and aired in 1995. The scream music video was a mixture of performance and concept as both artists were dancing and singing. The concept was based on the bad press Michael Jackson was getting in the media at the time and he's reaction to it. A reason to why it was so expensive could be for the video containing 11 different sets to film. Also CGI included in the video to convey the spaceship theme was needed to make it realistic and to a higher standard. This is beneficial for the audience as they will feel a sense of escapism through the CGI and enjoy watching the video, which helps build a relationship with the artist because they provide that escapism feeling for them. Even though the video has the highest budget ever, this does not mean it is the most viewed video. A reason to why it was given the highest budget is because of the time period it was made, as back then technology was developing but it was expensive and because of Michael being highly known and even known as 'king of pop' , the high expectations put into the video would have required large amounts of money. Compared to the music videos now and the great development of technology this supports the argument of it not being the most viewed as in the present day there are different platforms for audiences and artists to release their music videos e.g youtube and iTunes etc. where these are accessible on many popular devices such as apple products and android. 

The number of views that music videos gain has changed over the years due to the technology increasing as well. A reason for this could be because of the availability and access consumers have to watch music videos has become more easier. With the rise of smartphones, people are able to download apps which are useable with an internet connection to access the music videos e.g YouTube , Vevo, Tidal etc. Furthermore, not only is the access easier, the promoting of the music videos are more seen due to the wide range of social networks music artists are on which connects them to their audiences. Social network sites such as Twitter and Facebook especially are vital places for promotion, as artists advertise their music videos on there where audiences can share their thoughts and opinions and also create a buzz for the music video. 

The variation of music genres have changed massively over the years where as some are slightly none existent in todays era. From the 50s - 70s rock was popular then especially in the 50s with Elvis Presley renowned as ' The King of Rock'n'Roll'. Additionally in the 60s Motown and disco genre were popular genres. However when it came to the 80s some of these genres started to disappear due to the introduction to pop genre with some of the iconic artists of all time such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Whitney Houston etc. But now in the 21st century there are a number of new genres that have taken over, music is now more diverse and artists are more like individuals with their own styles. Furthermore there are sub-genres for main genres such as dance, R&B, pop and rock for example indie-pop, dance- pop and PBR&B (Hipster R&B).

This research will assist me when planning my music video, as it has given me more knowledge and background on particular genres and how they have developed. Also, I've learnt that the budget of a music video is not primarily important and a tool for success as the highest budget music video Scream is not the most viewed on YouTube. In addition, I've learnt that technology is really important in the music industry especially in the making and promotion of music videos as they give a variety of platforms to be distributed from. When planning my music video, I will look back on this post and re evaluate the key points that will assist me with my music video such as what technology to use such as cameras, and how I will advertise my music video. Moreover, due to the discovery of how scream is not the most popular song but has the highest budget, this has inspired me to consider making a narrative/performance styled music video in the indie-pop genre. This is because I wish my music video to convey a story rather than a performance,  because I believe I can assist the conventions of the indie-pop genre well when making a music video as its mostly about realism.