Institutions like major record labels fund and distribute music videos to promote artists and their music. They provide resources to allow high production quality videos and distribute across various platforms. Larger labels like Universal Music Group, which owns many mainstream pop and R&B labels, can fund more elaborate videos due to greater resources. Independent labels have less funding so videos are often lower budget and illustrate the music rather than being elaborate. Exposure is also limited for independent labels who rely more on YouTube and websites versus advertising.

1. Who creates music
videos?
Institutions fund and help make music videos that help promotes the artist’s
music and persona. They are responsible for providing the necessary resources
to allow the video to be made to perfection and distributing it across various
media platforms to increase its accessibility and exposure to its intended
audience.

2. Institution differences
The Universal Music Group has many different labels that focus primarily on
mainstream music (R&B, pop)- from Taylor Swift to Kanye West- that they can
advertise on VEVO (due to co-ownership), a popular website available
universally. Due to the vast amount of money available to the institution,
Music Videos can be made more extreme such as in Katy Perry’s amplified
music videos ‘California Gurls’ and ‘Roar’ as the label Island Def Jam gains
funding from the parent company Universal Music Group. The music video can
then be distributed on multiple media platforms as they are able to afford it.
An Independent group like VideoInk doesn’t have the luxury of ‘unlimited’
funding and, therefore, has to stick to the popular genres of Rock, Pop and
Indie to attract as many people as possible; most of their funding coming from
the public or/and quantity of views. Due to limited funding VideoInk’s music
videos are less extreme, sticking to illustrative rather than amplified or
disjuncture as budgets are restricted and less resources are available.
Another Independent company titled REDCAPE focuses mainly on creating
music videos for independents artists but exposure is restricted with music
videos only being available on the company’s website and on YouTube as
advertising is free. This limits the viewership of the video, lowering any
potential income.

3. Sony Music Entertainment
• Subsidiary of the Japanese
conglomerate Sony
Corporation
• Revenue of $4.89 billion
• Label genres (Country,
Classical, Latin,
Christian/Gospel,
Dance/Electronic- able to
target a niche audience due
to unlimited funding.
REDCAPE
• Founded in 2012 by two
university classmates in UK
• Creates videos for all types of
genres
• Money given to REDCAPE by
the artists.
Universal Music Group
• $6.552 billion revenue
• Headquarters are based in
Santa Monica, California.
• Co-developed Vevo
• Produces mainly Pop and R&B.
VideoInk
• Founded in Manchester, UK
• Produces music videos for
Rock, Pop and Indie artists.
• 3 staff
• Income gained by artists
needed to create music
videos.