Theory essay, potential sources and description

1. Media Theory
Daniel Morland

2. My Media Question
"What is the impact of music videos on the Music industry?"
The question I'm asking is about a certain genre of music. The genre of
music I want to focus on, is generic 'pop' music. Artists like 21 pilots,
Oliver Tree and Yeek. Music artists use music videos in a few different
ways, and I want to understand the usege and application of music
videos. Understanding the posative and negative impacts of music
videos on music is the core of this question.

3. Potential Sources
Jasleen Munsalud. (2018). The impact of music videos on pop culture. Available: https://www.newuniversity.org/2018/12/13/the-
impact-of-music-videos-on-pop-culture/ . Last accessed 20/02/2021.
Quotes:
1. "in her long-awaited video, she draws inspiration from 4 iconic movies from the 2000's." - takes actors and visuals from the 4
respective movies as an outside representation of them. It takes a narrative direction, by referencing the movies, however it takes
the direction of a performance video, by having the lead singer: Ariana Grande taking up most of the video, with the lead actors
taking a secondary role, so as to reference them.
2. "in 24 hours, the video amassed 50 million views" - plainly shows the exposure that mainstream video by major producers
receive. The song "thank you, next" was released on 3/10/2018 with the music video release a few weeks later on the
30/10/2018. The reason for this might have been to continue the hype of the song by releasing the video later.
3. "Each one (AG music videos) contains stunning visual and a positive message of hope and female empowerment"- as a
mainstream artist, AG is using her platform to create an underlying message in her music videos. At face value, it just looks like a
generic performance video, however there is an underlying tone of empowerment and feminism.
4. 1981 – MTV creates a platform to show music videos on television to the masses. You could say this is the origin era of music
videos.
5. "The ultimate purpose of a music video is to promote the artist and their new song while entertaining the audience" -
advertisement/ promotion, not just a music video.

4. Potential Sources
21 Pilots. (2018). Trench. Available: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3roRV3JHZzYrywUGDSoIeF7J9P4sWIba. Last accessed 20/02/2021. - The
story between albums, and the use of music videos to convey a narrative.
- Initially, the album Blurryface, seemed like a generic and successful album by the artists; 21 pilots about touching issues. But with the release of their
second album Trench, the story completely changed. It shifted from the album and music videos within Bluryface being about self-containment and
depression, and next the songs and music videos in the album Trench were more about breaking free and transitioning into a lifestyle outside out your
own mind. And its this story that 21 pilots sold so successfully with their album trench. It completed and sold the story to its following, who soaked up
this style of creation like a sponge.
Yeek. (2020). Only in the West. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq0GUZXSvKE. Last accessed 20/02/2021 –
The music video reflects the song and the artist. A slow melancholic song with a slow and melancholic music video.
N/A. (N/A). How Internet Changed the Music Video. Available: https://rotorvideos.com/blog/how-internet-changed-music-video . Last accessed
20/02/2021.
1. "Music videos replaced the need for bands to travel from city to city" - this suits the on demand culture that our generation lives in. Instead of
traveling to promote their music, an artist/band can release a music video to promote the song.
2. "(in the 1080s) music videos became a way for an artist to project an image, tell a story, extend their creativity and enhance their message."
Artists began to explore the usages of music videos and what they could do with them to not only promote their music, but promote a message/
brand.
3. "Now we’ve reached a time when anybody can create and upload a video (to YouTube), viewers are becoming used to a certain level of ‘YouTube
quality’." - with the expansion of free streaming services, the main player being YouTube, it has allowed more independent producers to create a
music video for their songs, lowering the cost of production and therefor the quality of the videos.

5. Potential Sources
Rebecca Zepeda (2018). Changing the Business: Music Videos in Society. Santa Monica: University of
the Pacific. 2,8,13. -
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1014&context=backstage-pass
Quote 1 page 2 – "However, it is important to note that MTV was catering to a very specific teenage
and young adult demographic" - the group of people MTV catered to a young male audience.
However, with the introduction of the internet, this shifted to both genders.
Quote 2 page 13- "Social networks such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have harnessed the
very essence of what MTV created for the music industry" - Social media essentially took the market
from the MTV channel. The internet suited the demographic below the MTV era. Generation Z and
below.
Quote 3 page 8 – "MTV ... refused to play the videos because they did not have the qualities that
they often looked for in videos – which often coincided with production value" - which is the
opposite to the internet streaming platforms like YouTube: where independent creators have that
judgement. The power of coverage was taken away from the TV channel and handed to the
independent creator.

6. Potential Sources
Matheus Siqueira. (N/A). A Brief History Of Music Video. Available:
https://matheussiqueira.com/a-brief-history-of-music-video/. Last accessed 20/02/2021.
Quote 1 – "you could see the performer playing in quick segments of a music!" - This is
where the entertainment factor from performance music videos comes from. From the
combination of the short performances by the artist in conjunction with their music.
Bill Rosenblatt. (2019). Music Industry's Revenue Continues To Grow, But Beneath The
Surface Are Warning Signs. Available:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/billrosenblatt/2019/03/02/the-warning-signs-among-the-
music-industrys-revenue-growth/?sh=246b68df7de3. Last accessed 20/02/2021.
Quote 1 – "Interactive streaming, through services like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and
Amazon Music Unlimited" - the unlimited access to music, exposes a larger audience to an
artist's music videos.
Quote 2 – "paid downloads and CDs are continuing their slides into irrelevance" - more
people shifting towards online internet streaming of music; this will correlate with an
increase of people watching online streamed music videos.

7. Potential Sources
Paul Resnikoff. (2016). Music Is Just 4.3% of YouTube Traffic,
ResearchShows. Available:https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/08/16/music
-5-percent-youtube/. Last accessed 20/02/2021.
Quote 1 - "That suggests a greater appetite for music video and broader music-
related content" - streaming platform audiences are not searching for music by
itself. They would rather watch a music video over listening to the music itself.
What this tells me is that the combination of audible and visual entertainments
entices an individual more than just audible entertainment. This could be
interpreted in a few ways, but overall, the combination is more entertaining for
the average viewer.
Quote 2 – "the shorter length of music videos also introduces issues of lower
engagement" the shorter the video, the less time the audience will be watching.
Therefore, the video will be less engaging.

8. Potential Sources
Student at Highbury College. (2014). PURPOSES. Available: http://music--videos.weebly.com/purposes. Last accessed 20/02/2021.
Quote 1 – "Synergy is where two or more forms of media combine to make a promotional video" - 2 bands collaborating for example will be a promotion
for both bands involved. This is because of the collaborating bands audiences will be intersecting, exposing the audience to the other band's music.
Quote 2 – "A different image in an artist can change an awful lot to the success of an artist" - audience perception of the artist greatly effects the way
music is perceived. Miley Cyrus was referenced in this quote, and she is a perfect example of changing audience perception. She shifted from a family
friendly style to her own aggressive/outgoing style which shifted her initial younger audience to an older generation. Her music videos also reflect the
change from her younger self to the outgoing personality she had in the 2016 era.
Megan Stepney. (2013). Performance, concept and narrative based music videos. Available: https://prezi.com/yf20onzgt-_v/performance-concept-and-
narrative-based-music-
videos/#:~:text=Another%20example%20of%20a%20concept,of%20You'%20by%20Foo%20Fighters.&text=The%20narrative%20matches%20the%. Last
accessed 20/02/2021.
Quote 1 – "A performance based video shows the artist/band/group performance throughout the song and sometimes can play throughout the whole
video" - a display of the band to the audience watching to remind the viewer of the artist in question.
Quote 2 – "[concept music videos] tend to be fairly unique or utilize a particular editing or filming technique" the unique style will attract a niche
audience. This audience will be more interested in a music video which has differing angles and techniques as opposed to performance based music
videos.
Quote 3 – "A narrative based music video contains mostly footage that attempts to tell a story through the moving image" - this style of music video takes
the audience down a set narrative/story. 21 pilots did this fantastically with their 2 albums: Blurryface and Trench. These albums had a cross story theme
of depression and mental health.

9. Potential books
David Croteau, William Hoynes, William D. Hoynes (2003). Media/Society:
Industries, Images, and Audiences. N/A: Performing Arts. 63/4, 73.
Quotes:
- 63/4 - "Because advertisers are doing the most important buying, the principle
"products" being sold are the audiences." - over time, the production and
distribution costs of msuci videos have gone down. What it means essentally is
the product changed from the hosting of the video on the platform to the
consumers attention. The producers are paying the distributers for the audienes
attention, so the videos are being advertised. Allowing for less advertisements
to be played between videos.
- 73 - "MTV was economically viable because it had virtually no programming
costs" - incetivising the creation of music videos benefited 3 stakeholders. The
distibuter, producer and consumers all recive benefits. The consumer benefits
from free music video services. The producer benefits from cheap distribution
costs and a mass audience. And last the distributer benefits from the profits and
promotion it receives from hosting the music videos.

10. Potential sources
Calum Corser (2015). Live Performance, Touring and Music in the Digital Age. The University of
Salford: The University of Salford School of Arts and Media. 57, 84, 86. -
https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/36897/1/Final%20-
%20Live%20Performance%20and%20Touring%20in%20the%20Digital%20Age.pdf
Quote 1 page 57 - "feel of romanticism towards live performance and nostalgia from musicians
retired and current" - a performance by a band draws the connection between the audience and
the band. The connection itself is romantic and therefore exciting and exhilarating for the audience
watching. Live audiences and performance based music videos are similar in the fact that both
display the band as entertainment. The end goal for both performances is to promote the bands
connection to the music and provide an entertaining product.
Quote 2 page 84 – "People growing up now will probably take for granted how technology has
developed and how easy it has made music" - the introduction of the internet expanded the
amount of money in the industry. The accessibility has become so accessible to first world nations,
that it feels like a necessity resource.
Quote 3 page 86 – "Listeners have the free will to choose what they want to listen to with access to
do this being the easiest it has ever been" - the free will of the audience allows for an expansion of
niche genres which in the past would not have been as successful as they are today. Hip-hop/Rap
was an underground genre of music until the coverage on the internet.

11. Potential books
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Psychology_of_Music_in_Multimedia/89m5EyX59ugC?hl=en
&gbpv=1&dq=impact+of+music+videos+on+the+music&printsec=frontcover The Psychology of Music in
Multimedia-
Quote 1, page 9 – "the impact of physical appearance … on musical ability… [forms an] interrelationship …
perception by the audience" - essentially drawing the connection to more physical appearance translates to
better audience perception of your music. Physical appearance can be in many forms but an example would
be beauty and pop culture. Artists like Katy Perry wouldn’t be as successful, if she didn’t have the looks like
she did. No sexism intended.
Quote 2, page 10 – "sound plays an important role at capturing [children's] attention" - while playing with
toys and watching the tv, children would look back at a TV intermittently. And from the quote you can
understand that the role of sound plays an important role at returning their attention.
Quote 3, page 9 – "the experience of music videos is for the purpose of artistic expression" - plainly, the
reason for music videos boils down to the core usage: which is the added visual expressions the artist can
input into the music video. Music artists are limited to audible expressions with their music. But the music
video can use visuals to add depth and meaning on top of the audible music.