So.. What is a music video?

To many people a music video is simply just a video with music.
However, music videos have a much greater significance and major role in the industry.

Andrew Goodwin claimed that 'Music video is not primarily a commodity form but a promotional one'.

Keith Negus agrees with this claiming that music videos are a promotional tool. The record label use the band to create an image linked in with the song. This image sells the song to the audience which are the fans/consumers. Therefore, this becomes a major marketing technique.

For example, the arctic monkeys sell the image of normal sheffield lad's as this is how they get through to their audience who respect them for being down to earth. Thus, in most of their videos they are showing their casual life in Sheffield. This video below, a song called 'Teddy Picker', shows them mainly in their local studio recording the song. However, it also shows them walking along the street in Sheffield, entering a local pub and even counting their coins to buy a pint of beer.


 

Music videos can also be used to tell a narrative and therefore make the song more interesting or even explain the reasons for the lyrics in the song. Another Arctic Monkey's video, which does not even have them in it, is that of 'Leave Before The Lights Come On'. This video tells the story of a girl who is standing on a building 'about to commit suicide' (or that is what it seems) and proceeds to drop her shoe 'accidentally'. A guy walking below sees the shoe drop looks up, and therefore runs all the way to the top of the building to stop the girl from jumping. She is easily convinced and they go for a coffee. She tries to make a move on him and he tells her he is married and leaves but then she follows him home and is very persistent. In the end he shouts at her and tells her to leave him alone. She then runs all the way to the building from the beginning of the video clip and runs to the top and stands there once more as if she is going to jump again. We then see another guy walking below and she drops her shoe again. This shows that this girl is obviously just using this 'suicide' tactic to try and find a man. I find this video clip very clever and interesting. This is one of many examples of how such a clever narrative can be pursued in such a short amount of time. This also shows how this tactic of narrative music video makes the video (and therefore the song) very memorable. So, after all that, here is the video:



However, music videos do not always have to have some other meaning or other promoting reason behind them, a music video can also just be a creative artefact of interest in itself. An artistic and creative video attracts people and wheels them in to watch the video and once they have watched it, if it is creative enough, then the audience will remember the video and therefore remember the song. For example, the video clip for the song Gold Lion by Yeah Yeah Yeah's sticks in my head since the day I saw it. First of all, it is very different as they are playing the instruments on a beach as if it is a stage. Also, she had many different outfits that stand out and her unique make up and hair gives of a crazy image which the video just emphasises. By the end of the video she is standing in a ring of fire. Here it is:



Music videos can also be used at advertisement to advertise a product. The artist in the video is then associated with this product and visa-versa, marketing both things, the artist and the product. It is a something very effective that comes out of music videos. In many of 50 cents videos he is wearing NY hats, or other hats made by the company 'New Era'. This advertises their hats to everyone who is watching these music videos and therefore there is another purpose to the video apart from advertising 50. This is one of many:



Synergy is also another way that video clips can be used. Some songs are made for films and therefore the video clips are based around the film, with either clips from the film or that and the artist together. Either way, the film will be advertised in some way and that is synergy as both the film and the song are being advertised by the music video, therefore 2 media products are being marketed. There are many examples of these, including a song by N-Dubz and Chipmunk for the film 'StreetDance 3D', many James Bond songs such as 'Madonna - Die Another Day' and 'Alicia Keys & Jack White - Another Way To Die'. A very famous example is 'Aerosmith - I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing' which was written for the film 'Armageddon':



Music video's are also part of the construction of the image of a particular band and performer and part of the process of constructing stardom. Lady Gaga started constructing her image right from when she began her road to fame, and she now has one of the most recognisable star image's around. However, none of that could be done without music videos as we would not have seen her crazy strange image had we only of heard her music and not have seen her videos. Here is her video for a reason song, 'Edge of Glory' - one of her most normal videos (scarily):




They are also the chief raison d'etre for music television channels. Without music videos, music channels such as MTV, KERRANG, NME and more would not exist. Music channels not only get the songs out to their rightful audiences, kerrang getting out the more metal/rock songs, mtv the more mainstream and nme the more alternative stuff. Beyond this, they are entertainment for people, just as any other TV channel is. When I watch TV I tend to watch music video channels more than any other.
Furthermore, not only TV Channels as nowadays YOUTUBE is a much more common way of watching music channels. YouTube would not be anywhere near as popular if it weren't for music videos as these are a main purpose of people watching things on the website.