The document provides an overview of the history and development of music videos from the 1920s to present day. It discusses key innovations like affordable video equipment in the 1980s that helped establish the music video as a popular marketing tool. The document also summarizes Richard Dyer's star theory about how the music industry manufactures celebrities and stars to generate profits through merchandise and representing social ideologies. Popular contemporary artists and the dominance of Universal Music Group in the current industry are briefly outlined.

1. MUSIC VIDEO RESEARCH
Emily Smith

2. HISTORY OF MUSIC VIDEOS
• The origins of the music video date back to musical short films that first appeared in
the 1920s.
• In 1926, with the arrival of "talkies" many musical short films were produced.
Vitaphone shorts (produced by Warner Bros.) featured many bands, vocalists and
dancers.
• In 1981, the U.S. video channel MTV launched, airing "Video Killed the Radio Star" and
beginning an era of 24-hour-a-day music on television. With this new outlet for
material, the music video would, by the mid-1980s, grow to play a central role in
popular music marketing.
• Two key innovations in the development of the modern music video were the
development of relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use video recording and editing
equipment.
• In November 1992, MTV began listing directors with the artist and song credits,
reflecting the fact that music videos had increasingly become an auteur's medium.
• 2005 saw the launch of the website YouTube, which made the viewing of online video
much faster and easier. websites had a huge effect on the viewing of music videos,
artists began to see success as a result of videos seen mostly or entirely online.

3. GENERAL INFORMATION
• A music video is a short film that integrates a song with imagery.
• Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing
device intended to promote the sale of music recordings.
• Some of the most successful music videos are:
1. Thriller (Michael Jackson)
2. Single Ladies (Beyoncé)
3. Despacito (Luis Fonsi ft Daddy Yankee) is the current most viewed
video of all time with 5 Billion views

4. RICHARD DYER’S STAR THEORY
• Richard Dyers star theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are manufactured by
institutions for financial gain.
• He believes that stars are constructed to represent 'real people' experiencing real
emotions.
• Stars are manufactured by the music industry to serve a purpose; to make money out
of audience, who respond to various elements of a star’s personality by buying records
and becoming fans.
• A stars is a construction – the person is constructed and represented by their music
videos,
• A star is a commodity- they are made to create profit via merchandise. Producers
create similar stars like One Direction and The Wanted because they know they make a
lot of money.
• A star is an ideology- the person will represent a social group and express beliefs that
others will follow. Like Beyoncé promotes the idea of strong independent women, her
fans also project this belief.

5. DANCE
• Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany
dancing.
• Modern popular dance music initially emerged from late 19th century's
Western ballroom and social dance music.
• The introduction and growing popularity of disco in the early 1970s
caused dance music to become popular with the public. By the late
1970s, electronic dance music was developing. This music, made using
electronics, is a style of popular music commonly played in nightclubs,
radio stations, shows and raves. Many subgenres of electronic dance
music have evolved.

6. CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT
• Who are most popular right now?
1. Post Malone
2. Drake
3. Migos
4. XXXTentacion
5. J. Cole
6. Ed Sheeran
7. Kendrick Lamar
8. The Weeknd
9. Eminem
10. Taylor Swift

7. UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP
• Universal Music group (UMG) is an example of a company that
dominates the music industry.
• Due to the introduction of streaming services like spotify make up 51%
of their digital revenue and is currently at €1 billion ( around
£885,097,330.00

8. REFERENCES
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video
• http://gabriellaa2media.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/richard-dyer-star-
theory.html