Purpose of music videos

1. Lauren Rosenfeld

2.  The purpose of a music video is to sell the song and to
make it memorable for the audience. It also gives the
audience a better understanding of the song, as there
is a narrative to go with the lyrics. A music video also
makes the audience aware of what the musician
looks like and gives the artist publicity. Another
purpose is to entertain the audience. If a music video
is entertaining, it may become popular and possibly
go viral. This then increases album sales, as a
memorable visual leaves a lasting effect on an
audience and gaining an artist a larger audience.
Therefore, the main purpose of a music video is to
serve as promotion for the artist and the record label.
For example, two of the most popular videos of 2016
both raking in over 600m views already are Zayn
‘pillow talk’ and Rihanna ‘work’. These both feature
explicit content. This shows that songs that feature
some form of exposure prove to be popular and sell
more albums, as both videos feature half naked
women dancing/kissing men as shown by the
screenshots.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/zayn/PILLOWTA
LK/USRV81501126
http://www.vevo.com/watch/rihanna/Work-
(Explicit)/QM5FT1690012

3.  A music video will use several close ups
of the artist, to make them into a star.
The artist will then become more well
known due to the audience knowing
what they look like and will gain a
following and an audience will want to
idolise them and be a loyal audience.
They may also focus on their clothing
and try to be like/act like them. This is
seen in Beyoncé's ‘hold up 'music video.
This is also seen in Taylor Swifts ‘bad
blood’, where many close ups of the
artist can be seen. By using close ups,
facial expressions are also portrayed.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/beyonce/Hold-
Up/USSM21601316
http://www.vevo.com/watch/taylor-swift/Bad-
Blood/USCJY1531563

4.  Music videos will also promote the record label. If
people like the artist, then usually the record
company logo will appear at the end of the music
video. Then, the audience can view other artists
from the same record label. Artists from other
labels can also collaborate with each other. An
example of this is the collaboration between
Eminem (shady records) and Rihanna (Roc nation)
for the song 'love the way you lie'. Artists that are
less well known can also work with more well
known artists to become more popular. An example
of this collaboration is between several artists Ty
Dolla Sign, Lil Wayne, Imagine Dragons, Wiz
Khalifa and less well known artist Logic for the
song ‘sucker for pain’. This large collaboration
between artists means more recognition for the
artists and record label, as there is a larger chance
of someone liking one of the artists and/or going to
see the movie ‘Suicide Squad’ and downloading the
song after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_
U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-
59jGD4WrmE

5.  Many artists release their songs in parts. For
example, Troye Sivan’s blue neighbourhood trilogy.
Here, he released three different music videos for
three different songs every month and when all three
videos provide a larger story. Releasing a product
across several platforms, will in turn create a larger
profit for the record company. This is known as
synergy. Album sales also depend on how visually
pleasing the song and music video is. If a music video
is entertaining, then it is more likely to be popular
and if a song is popular, then album sales will
increase as more people may listen to and like the
song. However, there can also be a negative side to
the release of a music video, as researchers have
claimed that due to the release of music videos,
album sales have reduced. The claim is that not
having videos on YouTube increased sales by "on
average 10,000 units per week for top albums.
Although, music videos still provide good publicity for
the artist, gaining millions of views per music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
5xCMF7jsDJI

6.  One artist that has released several products
across different platforms is Eminem. First
off, Eminem started off as just a
rapper/singer. He then starred a movie called
8 mile, which also came with a soundtrack.
The rapper voiced the video game 50 Cent:
Bulletproof and guest starred on the Comedy
Central television show Crank Yankers and a
Web cartoon, The Slim Shady Show. Eminem
also released an autobiography, The Way I
Am, which was published in 2008. Revealing
his struggles with poverty, drugs, fame,
heartbreak and depression, and including
stories of his rise to fame.

7.  There are many reasons why people use
synergy. These include increasing brand
identity. If a brand is released across more
than one platform, then there is a larger
chance of popularity and increasing the
audience. For example, being on more than
one platform means that someone that does
not use one platform, but uses another are
more likely to see something from the artist.
A larger audience also increases loyalty to
the product and in turn makes more money
for the company.

8.  Modern music videos feature a number of women provocatively
dressed and enticing men with their attention directed to their
assets. This is known as the male gaze and is typically used in
today's music videos. The male gaze is the way in which visual
arts depict the world and women from a masculine point of view,
presenting women as objects of male pleasure. Several artists
have done this, including Miley Cyrus and Meek Mill with women
dancing provocatively next to a stripper pole women are dressed
in tight clothing, showing off their assets. he camera seems to be
zooming in on the dancer’s rear end in each scene while she is
dancing. This camera angle also emphasizes her assets. The
audience does not find out who the woman is because their
attention is directed towards her assets.The male gaze is a subject
of controversy between men and women. As even though male
artists include objectified women, female artists also depict
themselves as objects of pleasure for men. However, several music
videos that have used the male gaze have gained millions of views
and gained more album sales. This is because sex sells.
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=My2FRPA3Gf8
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=K8fNkMZ3thI

9.  Representation in music videos is how the
artist/band is portrayed, it is the reconstruction of
reality. In these videos aspects of reality are
changed to suit current trends in society and to
make money or get people interested in the
products they’re selling. The world shown is a
construction and not the real world is shown. To
do this media producers use stereotypes because
the audience easily understands what is trying to
be portrayed. For example, in 50 Cent’s music
video Candy Shop, sex and wealth are portrayed
throughout. This may be his reality, however it is
not for most people. Another example is Dr. Dre
‘still DRE’, where Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are
surrounded by provocatively dressed women.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/dr-dre/Still-D-R-
E/USUV70702309
http://www.vevo.com/watch/50-cent/Candy-
Shop/USIV20500034

10.  Women are often represented in a negative light,
as sexual objects for men and are there for the
pleasure of men. This is known as the male gaze.
Whereas, men are seen as masculine, sexualized
and dominant. These are commonly seen in
rap/hip hop music videos e.g. Snoop Dogg.
Examples of representation and male gaze are
both seen in the music video 'blurred lines' by
Robin Thicke. Here, women are objectified and
seen as objects for men. In the uncensored
version, women are naked, and even in the clean
version, women are provocatively dressed in
white (symbolising purity) revealing clothes for
men. However, the men are still dressed the
same.
http://www.vevo.com/watch/ro
bin-thicke/Blurred-Lines-
(Unrated-
Version)/USUV71300526

11.  Music artists used to spend millions of dollars creating
music videos. Examples of these include Michael
Jackson’s ‘scream’, which cost $7m and Madonna ‘die
another day’, which cost $6.1m. Over the years, all
aspects of media have changed and evolved depending on
trends, interests and what’s popular and exciting for the
audience. When comparing music videos from past to
present there are significant differences and it shows how
much they have evolved over the last 20-30 years. Past
music videos would be high production and focus on other
things rather than sex and money(which most music
videos show nowadays). Music videos nowadays may also
follow a simple narrative, which is easy for a younger age
group to follow. Another reason for the change, is because
the recording industry is losing money due to many
people illegally downloading music rather than buying a
song/album legally. The screenshots shows one music
video from the past and one from the present. As you can
see, the one from the past, focuses more on the music
rather than being oversexualised like the music video
from Ariana Grande's is.