Nature and Purpose of the Music Video

Music videos are often shown on dedicated TV channels in the UK during the 1980s and onwards, with channels such as MTV, being the biggest and the most successful at the time. Now there are there are many platforms in you can watch these music videos as there are many other channels that now broadcast them. As of right now, MTV has expanded their reach, with many other channels carrying the MTV name as each will specialize in a specific genre of music. This includes MTV Hits, MTV Rock, MTV Rocks and MTV dances. Over time there have been many other channels are that also dedicated to presenting music video, that is outside of the business MTV. With other channels with the like of 4Music in 2008 and Kerrang in 2001, which are both being owned by the same company being the Channel Four Television Corporation.

They are shown throughout many different mediums throughout media, as they can be shown on satellite and cable TV as well as broadband services. For satellite TV, this would be something like Sky or BT, where there would be a satellite in space that would send data to an outdoor parabolic reflector, this then decodes the music video to allow viewing on the television. Meanwhile, a quicker alternative would be cable TV, as it uses radio frequency to deliver the desired television program with it sent by Coaxial cable or through fibre optic cables in the recent years, this would’ve been done by companies such as Virgin Media. For broadband services, which have been growing in popularity in recent years, this is online subscription that you would pay for to be provided through streaming a piece of media.

There are many different channels that are dedicated to music videos that carry the MTV banner, but they are different. This is because they are all each dedicated to a different genre of music, with MTV Hits being used for latest and newest hits. MTV Dance is used to specialized on as the name suggests dance song, for which it mainly plays electronic dance song which is often heard in nightclubs. Other channels like 4Music are many different programmes with some used to play the biggest music videos right now with another playing the latest music videos from current artists, due to this, it helps keep the songs fresh and up-to-date and help attract the teen and younger demographic.

As well as many music video channels on the TV, there are also many that are based online with the popular being on YouTube and VEVO. By being on YouTube it allows itself to be exposed to a larger audience as many people use the site, while on top of this there are more people that have access the internet rather than a television. On YouTube, there are many famous and popular artists with the name VEVO next to it in the channel’s name. This is because that VEVO is a company that is used by an artist to help ensure that they get a clear as high quality it can be, despite having its own website it is most popular on YouTube with may help allow for a more convenience for the audience.

Purpose Nature of a music video

Music videos are used to serve a purpose as there is a reason for their existence, as during the 1980s nearly all the biggest artist and bands make one for a popular
single they have released. They do this because they act like promo videos to promote their songs and help increase their record sales and make people want to buy their songs and albums. As having a channel on TV was very important before YouTube became known.

With a music video, artists and bands would try and make the songs stand out from the rest of the crowds and make it as memorable as possible to put an image in their head. To do this, many artists may choose to hire some of the best directors in Hollywood to help and make a short film out of them, one of the most noticeable examples of this is Michael Jackson hiring Martin Scorsese for the music video of his song “Bad”. Meanwhile, other bands will and use their music video as a unique selling point, with it being as memorable as possible with the song being tied with it. This can help build have a narrative story with the lyrics being used to tell a story. One of the most iconic music video is Ah-Ha’s Take on Me, where it would blend and mix pencil sketched animation and live action together to give a coherent story. Due to this, it had made music videos seem more like a short film, rather than just another marketing tactic.

As well as this with a good music video is could help give the artist more publicity, which would in turn help build their public image and enhance their reputation as a good artist. If popular enough then it could lead to a possible fan-base, with people who are willing to your songs and even pay money to see you live in concerts.

But overall, the aim of creating a good music video is to make enough promotion to make money and continue to remain relevant and famous at the same time. With enough recognition and success, it is possible for the artist to eventually win an award for their achievements whether it’ll be a Brit or even a Grammy. Further boosting ones reputation.