INTRODUCTION
Over decades, generations of music devotees have embraced their affections for their favorite songs, artists and albums. But seemingly, the world of music videos- visual accompaniments- have only supplemented the experience. Music videos are an incredible way to tell a story beyond the lyrics of a song; a way to ‘show and tell’, if you will. But now, with the music industry being so saturated and accessible, are music videos still relevant?
THE BEGINNING OF MUSIC VIDEOS
The first internationally popular music video was Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. It captured the eyes and hearts of listeners worldwide. With the charismatic presence of the band and unprecedented visuals, the music video received attention internationally.
When we think about music videos today, the conceptual diversity and range has dramatically expanded. Different genres are often trademarked by the style of music videos they produce; pop music typically comes out with narrative and colorful music videos while genres like RnB have more subdued color palettes. Music videos are the most stimulating and engaging way to transport a listener directly to the world of the music artist. Their story, their experience, their feelings and memories are all captured in the matter of minutes as a collection of sounds, colors and frames. They are designed to be emotive, on whichever level that may be. A happy song could sound happier with the accompaniment of a happy music video and a sad song could sound sadder with a sad music video. Further, music videos are an excellent way of narrating and bringing out deeper underlying themes in the music. They give the audience something to connect with beyond just the music.
WHY DO WE NEED MUSIC VIDEOS?
Music videos, beyond a viewer and listener experience are also important for the music artist in regards to growth, branding and revenue. Music videos need not necessarily be a high cost production project but they most definitely need to mean something for them to be of any monetary value. They would need to leave a lasting impression on the audience and connect with the viewers. Subsequently, they would need to be shared and spoken about for them to reach wider audiences. Apart from generating revenue, music videos are one of the most creative ways for an artist to brand themselves. Artists often change the themes of their music videos from album to album. For instance, Tyler, the Creator, invests a lot of creative effort into his music videos which can be seen by the difference in music videos for his 2019 album ‘Igor’ and his 2021 album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’. Music videos for his tracks from Igor see a lot of bright solid colors, multicolored suits, the iconic blond bob and sunglasses. The theme for his music videos from Call Me If You Get Lost included bright but not overwhelming colors, European settings, fur hats and jewelry. Music videos from both albums shared the commonality of depicting a story which complemented the story telling nature of Tyler’s albums. During the era of Igor, through music videos and maintaining the theme he portrayed in them, he quite literally branded himself as Igor. While, during the Call Me If You Get Lost era, he branded himself as the character of the album, Tyler Baudilair. This is just one