The Purpose of Music VideosUmut Tasci

The Fundamental Purpose of a Music Videos to Essentially to:

Make a lot of Money for the Record Company

A Music Video Can Also…To provide a visual in addition to the audio so the

audience can have something to recall to when remembering the song thus it can stick to audiences even more.

Introduce an Artist to the audience.Give the audience a better understanding of the

song and what its about.Entertain and show off the artists talents.

Selling An ImagePart of promoting an artist is selling their ‘image’. This is essentially when a record label constructs an image for a star to appeal to their audience. This is achieved by artist setting a certain mood in their vide.

Miley CyrusMiley Cyrus has a lot of music videos that are memorable. This is because of how different and crazy there are. However, this is just a small part in her star image; it’s the record company constructing her image, which is to be a rebellious teenager who loves to party and be ‘different’.

Extension of IncomeLike I've mentioned before, one of the main purposes (if not, the main) of the artist’s music videos is to make money. However, this is only successful if they succeed in the long run. That’s why, even though Music Videos help to promote a band or artist long after the single or album has been released, some artists are remembered years later solely because of a memorable music video.

Rihanna - UmbrellaOne of the best examples of this is the song ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna. This was an instant hit in the UK, where is debuted at #1 solely on the strength of download sales. This is a great example for me personally because this song is one of the main reasons I am familiar with Rihanna. It was a huge success when I was younger because of its creative Music Video. It spent 10 weeks at the #1 spot thus breaking a world record that stood for nearly 55 years.

Extension of OutletsIn the past, Music Videos would be aired on TV Chart Shows and on Music Video channels, such as MTV. Labels worked together with music channels to ensure the playing of their videos to try and achieve an increase in sales.

However, with the increased popularity of online sources such as YouTube & Soundcloud, the labels now have a better variety of ways to outlet their Music Videos. Additionally, social media also plays a key role in increasing the artist’s coverage. Its so easy to find songs and new artists these days because of how popular YouTube and other online resources are that I was able to go on YouTube and find this video of Ed Sheeran without having to search for it.

SynergyMusic Videos are also used as Synergy. This is where two areas of media work together. One big and common example of this is when a Music Video features scenes from a Hollywood movie to promote it. Usually the song will feature in the film and the trailer, which a wider number of people will see.

Adele - SkyfallAdele Skyfall was the official score for the James Bond movie, ‘Skyfall’. It did really well on YouTube and created more awareness for the movie.

Impact of YouTube viewsAn additional purpose of a Music Video could be to do well in terms of YouTube views. This is because, with the growth of technology and popularity of YouTube, having a good amount of YouTube views will play a big part of how successful the song is.