This document discusses several ways that music videos are used to promote artists and their music. Music videos allow artists to promote their image and style to generate more sales and attention for their label. They also provide opportunities to promote directors, extend income through royalties and platforms, and create synergies between music and other products. Independent artists have more limited budgets but can still promote through low-cost, self-produced videos posted to online platforms.

1. The Purpose of the Music Video
Promotion
Promotionof a band/artist
Music videosare usedasa wayto promote the artistsself-image throughthe meansof avisual short
filmtoa songfromthe artistsalbum.Musicvideosare alsousedto generate money forthe label
that the artist issignedto. The majorityof artiststendto use theirname or a recognisable symbol
for themselvesintheirmusicvideosasameanof identification.
An example of thisisthe RussianfeministprotestpunkgroupknownasPussyRiot.Theyare mostly
knownforbeingseenwearingcolourful balaclavasasa meansof identificationintheirfew music
videos(althoughasof recentthere are musicvideosshowingtheirfaces). Theirvideoscoincide with
theirextremelypoliticalsongsthattendtocentre solelyonfeminism, LGBTQ+and theiropposition
to VladimirPutinandrecentlyDonaldTrumpwiththe release of theirsong“Make AmericaGreat
Again”.
Anotherexampleisthe shockrockartist Alice Cooperwhose careerhasspannedover50 years. His
musicvideosreflectheavilyonhisexperimental andhorrororientatedstyle.He ismostcommonly
seenwithhisbandinhismusicvideos(theyare usuallyvideosthatare takenduringhislive shows
althoughthere are several whichare actual musicvideos) whilstalsousuallywearingaleatherjacket
whichisa part of hissignature look.Whenperforminginlive shows,he isalsopromotedonthe
drum kitwithhisname inthe usual style andfont. Alice alsotendstowearthe same eye makeup
that has become asignificantpartof hisonstage personawhichisthe blackedouteyesandthe line
goingdiagonallythrough (althoughhe usuallydoesnotwearthe eye makeupinhismusicvideos).
The videostakenatlive showsusuallycarrya runningtheme throughout,inseveral songshe wears
hisiconicstraightjacket(mostcommonlywornduringBalladof DwightFry).

2. Promotionof director/filmmaker
For MarilynManson’smusicvideo‘The Mephistophelesof LosAngeles’, FrancescoCarrozzini was
askedto directit. He has alsodirectedmusicvideosforartistssuchas Lana Del Ray. Whenhe directs
musicvideos,he tendstofocusmainlyonthe artist withextreme close-upsandavarietyof camera
angles. (Canbe seeninDel Ray’s‘Ultraviolence’). He hasalsodirectedseveral artfilmsandfeature
documentariesbetween2007 and 2016. He has hostedmultipleexhibitionsforhisphotography
whichinclude arange of popiconssuch as LindaEvangelista,TyraBanksand Naomi Campbell.
Producers’ Strategies
Major label bands/artists
Mainstreambandsand artists are marketedwithheavilypublicityandare backedwitha large
budgetfortheirhighproductionmusicvideos.Artistsandbandsthattendto have videoswithabig
productionvalue are usuallyproducingmusicinthe mainstreamandpopulargenres,forexample
Pop.Whena mainstreamartistor bandreleasesamusicvideothere are a plethoraof components
that have gone intoto reflectthe artists/bandsunique style andtaste.More commonthannot,
there will be alarge varietyof propsand costume changesas well as carefullythoughtout
choreographyandinmost circumstances,adetailedstoryline.
An example of thisisthe musicvideotoaccompanythe song‘Vladthe Impaler’bythe band
Kasabian.The videoisdirectedbypopularcomedianRichardAyoadeandincludesNoel Fieldingas
the feature role.The musicvideoissaid(bythe bandsleadguitaristandvocalistSergioPizzorno) to
be the trailerforan old70’s horrorfilmtitledVladthe Impaler,whichiswhythe videoisonly 2:13 as
the wanteditto be the lengthof a typical trailer.

3. Independentbands/artists
Independentartistswill be limitedtowhattheycando and produce,consideringtheydonothave a
surplusof moneytocreate highqualitycontentwith. Anexample of anindependentbandare the
groupLady Bird whowere recentlysignedtothe recordlabel knownas‘Girl Fight’.Thislabel was
newlylaunchedbythe Britishpunkbandknownas‘Slaves’whocreatedthe label tobe about
“…great bands,bigtunesanda DIY ethicinheritedfromthe band’spunkrockroots”.1
Asof late,
there isno musicvideoforLadyBird’sfirstsong ‘Spoons’,howeverthe official audioisavailable to
listentoon YouTube,Spotify,DeezerandBBC Music.
Self-producedartists
Self-producedartiststendtocreate musicvideosbythemselvesdue tominimalornobudgetat all.
By makingtheirownvideoandpublishingitonvideosharingwebsites,the cankick-starttheircareer
and attemptto drawin a fanbase andget noticedbycompanies.Anexample of thisisthe female
frontedpunkbandknownas The Nectars.Theyhave recentlyuploadedtheirfirstmusicvideoto
theirfeature song‘Heaven’.“Despite risinglabelinterestthe band,whoformedinlate 2016, like to
do thingstheirownwayand afterscoutingstudiosforfree recordingtime andself-creatingvideos,
these cultfashionistasare forgingafree spiritedDIYapproachto theirfirstreleases”2
.Forthe low-
budgetmusicvideofor‘Heaven’,the bandare simplyjustperformingthe songwhilstconveying
across theirraw energy.
1 http://www.nme.com/news/music/slaves-launch-girl-fight-records-lady-bird-spoons-2206750
2 http://ventsmagazine.com/2017/12/11/njs-nectars-releases-debut-single-heaven/

4. ‘Art’and statementthroughmusicvideos
Some artistsprefertomake musicvideosthatconveyacrossa message orthat are a formof visual
art, rather thanjustsingingthe song.Drag queenandartistSharon Needlesisknownforher
abstract drag aestheticandhermusic.Most recentlytheyreleasedthe videoforthe song‘Andy
Warhol is Dead’inwhichtheyare shownsurroundedbyprojectionsandhallmarksof Andy’spopart
pieceswhilstincludingactual audioof Andyhimself.SharonisalsodressedasAndyduringthe
beginninginarecreationof the famousvideoof AndyeatingBurgerKingfora 1970’s commercial.
Music videoscanalsohave a message,whetheritbe political,togetthroughto theiraudience.As
previouslymentioned,the RussianbandPussyRiotare anextremelypolitical bandwhospeakup
aboutPutinand recentlyDonaldTrumpintheirmusicandthe videos.Examplesof thisare the music
videosfor‘Make AmericaGreatAgain’and ‘Putinwill teachyouhow tolove’.
Extension of Income& Outlets/Platforms
Each time an artist’ssongis playedonthe radioor whentheirmusicvideoisplayedtheywill receive
royalties(payment) inexchange fortheirproduct. Usually,the mainstreamartistwillcontinuetotop
the charts as theirsongsare continuouslyplayedduring the firstfew monthof theirrelease.
Undergroundandalternative artistsrelymore onmediaoutletssuchasYouTube to getthem
noticed. Itisharder fornon-mainstreamartiststogetairplayonmajorradioand televisionmainly
because the companiesbehindthemwill be takingariskif theychoose to playtheirmusic.By
playingthe songsof mainstreamartists,there islittletonoriskin how it will be receivedbythe
audiences. The bestwayforartiststo make moneywouldprobablybe toposttheirofficial videos
and official audioontoYouTube totryand getnoticedandcompaniesandgaina fanbase. Recently,
Facebook hasbecome a helpful platformformusiciansandartiststogetnoticedsimplydownto
howeasyit isto share and like videosonthe newsfeed.
Examplesof mediaoutlets:
TV- Music videochannels(MTV,VH1etc)
Internet- Social media(Facebook,Twitter,Instagrametc)
-Videosharingwebsites(YouTube,Vevoetc)
Advantages:
- Widervarietyof platformstoshare videos.
- Biggerchance to be noticedandgatheran audience/fanbase

5. Disadvantages:
- Can be harder tobe noticeddue tothe massive influxof contentuploadedontovideo
sharingwebsitesandsocial mediaeachday.
Synergy
Synergyisthe termgivenforthe promotionandsale of a productthat comesfrom the mainproduct
or company.Anexample of thisisthe ‘Whiplash’mascarathatAlice Cooperlaunchedin1973 under
the colour‘BillionDollarBlack’whichisaplayon the title of hisbestsellingalbumandthe feature
song‘BillionDollarBabies’.Nowadaysthe productisextremelyrare tocome byand whenone
emerges,theytendtobe soldforthousands (One inparticularsoldfor$18253
). The product itself
was unisex mascarathatcouldbe boughtthroughmail orderwiththe orderformdetailingthree
selectionboxesof ‘Female,Male orOther’,detailingthateveninthe early70’sthere wasa non-
binary/genderneutral term.Alice himself was andstill isan androgynous character,wearingheavy
blackeye makeupandcelebratingthe tabooof sexualityinhismusicandhislooks.
Anotherexampleishismusicvideoforthe song‘FeedMyFrankenstein’.The musicvideocontains
the full extendedscene takenfromthe 1992 comedyfilm‘Wayne’sWorld’of Alice performingthe
songas well assmall clipsfromthroughoutthe movie.Bydoingthis,itisnot onlythe filmbeing
advertisedbutalsohis‘HeyStoopid’tour(whichisthe albumthe songistakenfrom).
3 http://ultimateclassicrock.com/alice-cooper-whiplash-mascara-prototype-scares-1825-out-of-buyer/