Many Music videos had may different drives other than to
advertise and show the public the song. There are many key factors behind a
music video to promote them as an artist, show the availability of the artist,
and have an extension of outlets.
The main purpose of a music video is promotion, having a
music video allows the artist to sell themselves and their image as well as
their music this is done by highlighting and making sure they are the most
prominent throughout the video with lighting, camera work, makeup and costume.
This is common in the Pop genre especially the artists image is being presented
and they are the main focus throughout. For example in Miley Cyrus’ ‘We Cant
Stop’ music video there are many close ups of the artist as she sings and she
is always placed in the centre of the screen when there is other people in shot
so they do not appear as prominent as all focus is on her and the movements she
makes. The music video came with a lot of controversy as she is wearing very
little and her actions in the music were seen as offensive to some people this
meant more people talking about the music and in addition more views this is a
route that this artist likes to take her music videos as it generates hype and
gets her the attention she needs to promote her music and her image.
Another form of music video that can be used is narrative
based which is when a music video has an introduction/ beginning which is
similar to a clip from a film grabbing the attention of the viewer and bringing
the music video to another level, this can be used to explain the story behind
the song and get a better understanding of what the artist was thinking about
when recording the song. An example of this is ‘Thriller’ by Michel Jackson
showing a 4-minute scene in the beginning of the video that is connected to the
theme the song is trying to create. This sets the scene and establishes the
storyline for the viewer and fits well with the lyrics of the song.
Brand image is another feature that can be presented in
music videos to gain interest from a certain audience as well as to promote the
image of the artist and capture the attention of the right people. An example
of this is Lady Gaga ‘Born this way’ her brand image is unique and
entertaining, designed to capture attention of a youthful audience, as it is
new and fresh as well as not seen before.
Another purpose of
music videos is artist availability meaning the artist’s music can be presented
with visuals for example on a TV show without having to be present in the
studio performing live. An example of this in the early years was ‘Hard days
night’ by the Beatles in 1964 they made a recording of them singing the song
and this was then shown on TV show where they were unable to be present for
example ‘Top of the pops’.
There are several ways in which an artist can generate money
from music videos one way being product placement where a product is shown in a
music video to advertise the product as well as the company. The company would
pay a certain amount of money to feature their product in the music video. An
example of this is in ‘Telephone’ by Lady Gaga a Samsung mobile phone is
incorporated in the advert to promote the product. Another form of extension of
income is when the music video is shown on YouTube before the video is shown
there will be a 5 second advert that all viewers must watch the artist will
then be paid a certain amount for each time someone views it, adverts can also
be shown on the side bar when the video is watched and income can come from
this too.
