Andrews' theory is that music videos are essentially advertisements meant to create specific meanings for songs, rather than illuminate inherent meanings. Music videos can depict genre characteristics through imagery like dance routines or aspirations. They also often relate the visuals directly to song lyrics, or amplify meanings beyond the lyrics. Record labels influence music videos to feature artists prominently and appeal sexually to promote sales.

1. By Ashley Joseph

2. Andrews theory identifies that music videos
ignore common narrative as they are essential
advertisements. Music is very ambiguous and as
a result, us consumers make up our own
meanings of a song. However a music video can
create the actual meaning to a song and
therefore companies/artists can use make us
think a certain way.

3. 1. Music Videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (e.g stage
performance in metal videos, dance routine for boy/girl band,
aspiration in Hip Hop). (Also known as iconography.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals. The lyrics are
represented with images.
3. There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and
atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music.
4. The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of
close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which
recur across their work (a visual style).
5. There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within
screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particulary voyeuristic treatment
of the female body.
6. There are often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes,
other music videos, etc).

4. This convention explains how Goodwin noticed a music
videos visuals either had a complete similarity or direct
contrast to the lyrics of the song.
Illustrative – Where everything in the video is created on
the sole basis of the lyrics
Amplifying – Where the video will add extra meanings
which are not necessarily found in the lyrics
Contradicting/Disjuncture – Where the images in the
video have no apparent link to the song lyrics.

5. In music videos, the practice of obtaining sexual
gratification by looking at sexual objects, acts
etc.(voyeuristic treatment). This can be
reinforced through props, mirrors, binoculars
and screens.
Voyeurism is widely used to sell/promote an
artists music through sex appeal

6. Visual Style & Intertextual References
The record label the artist is signed to will have
certain demands which will often include the
need for close ups on artists.
An intertextual reference is
When something like a
film/programme is directly related to a piece of
music.