Are Music Videos Actually Going Away?

MsMojo

From MTV's golden age to TikTok's bite-sized content, the music video landscape has dramatically evolved. Join us as we explore how streaming platforms, changing viewer habits, and new technologies are reshaping music videos' future. Will traditional music videos survive in our digital age?

Transcript

00:00And now we meet in an abandoned studio, we hear the playback and it seems so long ago.

00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we'll be discussing the current state of music video,

00:11where it is, where it came from, and where it's going.

00:20The music industry retains many diverse markets in an effort to appeal to all demographics.

00:25The youth, however, remains that industry's central focus.

00:30We'll be alright if we just keep dancing like we're spinning to you.

00:36Youth culture has driven how the music industry advertises,

00:40how it innovates, and where it funnels its financial resources.

00:43Record companies have, historically speaking,

00:46dumped a lot of promotional funds into the medium of music video,

00:49yet today's climate is much different than the MTV-focused landscape of yesteryear.

00:54YouTube, TikTok, and previously Vine videos

00:57now take up a lot of that propagative real estate

01:00when it comes to selling the latest song.

01:02Type is a beauty influencer.

01:04When she had a following, pretty much ready to go.

01:05She's got brand sponsorships, the work.

01:07She's, she's savvy.

01:09So, how did we get here?

01:16This history of music video actually predates the 1980s,

01:19although it was that latter decade that undoubtedly saw this format

01:23achieving its greatest commercial importance and success.

01:27The MTV revolution essentially demanded that every artist,

01:30both new and old,

01:31get on board with music video,

01:33whether they liked it or not.

01:35Video killed the radio star.

01:38Video killed the radio star.

01:42This resulted in some very forward-thinking clips

01:44from some equally creative people.

01:47It also created watershed moments,

01:48such as the cultural touchstone that was Michael Jackson's thriller.

01:52Said simply, music videos drove the market.

02:01These mini-movies often contained their own unique narratives

02:05and served as tools to promote the latest single and album releases.

02:09And many artists who would make a mark in TV or movies

02:12often got started with music videos.

02:15Today, however, it's unclear as to the continued relevance of the music video,

02:26particularly when it comes to competing with shortened attention spans.

02:30There's little to no room for expansive cinematic storytelling in a TikTok.

02:34But do young music fans even want that sort of thing?

02:38Are they affected in the same way as their parents and grandparents?

02:40Or should these clips simply get to the point?

02:49The question assumes a lot.

02:51Perhaps unfairly so.

02:52There's clearly a demand for new music

02:54and an audience that's watching their TikTok feeds

02:57just as intently as older generations

02:59showed up for appointment videos by their favourite artists.

03:02Many artists of today have eschewed traditional forms of music videos altogether

03:14and have instead embraced visualizers or lyric videos.

03:18There are a number of reasons for this,

03:20from simple financial economics to the artistic liberties

03:23that can be taken with regard to visuals.

03:26I can't be close to you

03:29I'll settle for the ghost of you

03:32Comparisons can then be made to the long-form narrative videos that we're used to,

03:37only with a more abstract and immediate way of connecting with an audience.

03:41Additionally, lyric videos may arguably better convey an artist's intentions

03:45as they lack the filter of a director reinterpreting a song's meaning.

03:49This more direct approach can build a bridge between that performer

03:59and those listening on the go or at home.

04:09There will always be those larger-than-life celebrities

04:11that retain enough clout to make music video production feel worth it

04:15for a label or company.

04:16Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga all can't mind.

04:27Younger bands or artists might also utilise the medium

04:30in order to capture a certain moment within the cultural zeitgeist.

04:34Or perhaps to simply go viral, for lack of a better term.

04:37Modern artists such as Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, and Lilnaz X

04:49all achieved success via TikTok before graduating to the big time.

04:54And it was a combination of music and visuals

04:56condensed and distilled down to sip-sized moments

05:00that allowed them to break through into the mainstream.

05:02At the same time, many modern industry professionals

05:11maintain that traditional music videos have not died out,

05:14but instead might represent a future renaissance,

05:17perhaps based in nostalgia.

05:19Kids who were born as internet natives

05:21cannot remember a time when MTV was the arbiter of music taste.

05:25It was interactive.

05:26Fans felt like they had a say.

05:28I've tried to explain it to my kids,

05:30like, what it meant to that era of music

05:32and what it meant to that generation of kids.

05:34But if you were of a certain age, it was must-see TV.

05:38A wide-open internet has changed how we receive music,

05:41whether that be on physical media Fridays

05:43or on streaming services like Spotify or Bandcamp.

05:47This more balanced playing field

05:49essentially means that record labels

05:51might potentially need to chase trends

05:53instead of creating them internally.

05:55I've decided I wanna

05:57keep on dancing in the ashes

06:00and so I call out

06:02This could be a good or bad thing,

06:05depending upon your point of view.

06:06However, there are some,

06:08such as Eric Weiner from the Wild Honey Pie,

06:11who see music videos as the ultimate way

06:13of linking art, artist and listener.

06:16We make the buzz sessions.

06:18Yeah.

06:18We produce these almost every week

06:20in New York and Los Angeles

06:21and we also have folks in Austin and London

06:22that are capable,

06:25recording studio partners, audio engineers, etc.

06:28But these folks are all excited

06:30to make official music videos as well

06:33and branch out of just the session formula.

06:36He told Fast Company in 2024

06:38about how, in his opinion,

06:40the connection that you have with that artist,

06:42their music and their personality

06:44is just a totally different beast

06:46when there's a visual component

06:47that has a style and story.

06:49Those same streamers likely remember

06:51a period of their youth

06:53when music videos made a huge difference

06:55in their decision to buy a record.

06:57That tie-in to nostalgia essentially means

06:59that record labels aren't going to be

07:00abandoning music videos for their artists anytime soon.

07:04That said, the onset and integration of AI

07:13into our everyday lives

07:15has already changed how some album covers are executed,

07:18so it's only a matter of time

07:19before AI-generated music videos

07:21might become the norm.

07:23The power remains in the hands of the consumer

07:25at the end of the day, however.

07:26Living behind my own illusion

07:30Speaking and voting with one's money

07:34is the ultimate way of ensuring

07:36that the record industry understands

07:38how fans see the current landscape,

07:40what they want,

07:41and perhaps, more importantly,

07:43what they don't want.

07:44So, ultimately, it's up to the music fan

07:46to determine the video's eventual fate.

07:55Can you remember the first music video

07:57that captured your imagination

07:58and didn't let go?

07:59Which modern artists

08:00utilized the music video medium best

08:02in your opinion?

08:03Let us know in the comments.

Category

Transcript

Recommended