Over the years, the way in which people are able to consume music videos has changed. Through the development in technologies, it is pretty much possible for us to access music and music channels almost everywhere. It could be argued that the radio is still the most popular place that people will go to in order to listen to music, however, other ways in which music is now being consumed include computers, smart phones and music television channels, such as VIVA and 4Music.
YouTube has also been responsible for the career launch of some of the newer/younger music artists. By uploading videos of themselves singing onto YouTube, artists such as The Vamps and Madison Beer have had their videos watched, liked and shared by thousands of people all across the world. This then creates a word of mouth effect and results in more people hearing about them and wanting to listen to their music. Before the days of YouTube people would have had to walk to the main office of a record labels and hand a CD of them singing over on the off chance that it will get listened to and that the label will like what they hear. It could be argued that is much more easier nowadays for musicians to be noticed and to become famous.
YouTube will help with the production of my video as is an application that can be used worldwide, therefore the music video has the potential to be seen worldwide. More views means the video is more like to be successful which, overall, could lead to the production company receiving more money. This will be beneficial for the production company as they will be made to look more desirable in a competitive industry. A successful music industry is more likely to be approached by a well known artist. Furthermore, YouTube can be used to promote the music video as it can be seen and shared on a worldwide scale. The use of YouTube during the production stage also gives me the opportunity to create a rough cut music video, which will help me to determine whether or not the target audience like my style. The overall aim is for the music video to appeal to the target audience. It is difficult for a music video to be successful if the target audience do not want to watch it as ultimately they are the ones who are going to buy into it.
MTV, which stands for 'music television', was founded in 1981 and was the first ever music channel to air on television. The channel plays popular and current music which is the main reason why the success of MTV still continues to grow. This means that MTV's worldwide audience are able to watch the latest music videos and the biggest hits. Furthermore, the growth and development of the channel from over the years can be seen by the fact that MTV now airs television programmes, such as Teen Mom, which continues to appeal to the target audience, who the majority of will be the same age as the girls from the show and may enjoy
During the 1920's, music videos were basic and were referred to as 'visual music' as they were seen by most as short films; a short story to accompany the song and lyric. By the 1980's, they were described by the term "rock video". The song St Louis Blue's (1929) sung by Bessie Smith was the first music video to ever be shown in theatres, where it continued to play until 1932. Then in 1940, Walt Disney released his first animated film Fantasia, which is one of the first and most well known musicals to be produced. The film was a music based around famous pieces of classical music, for example, Symphony number 6 (1808), composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. In 1956, Tony Bennett released "Strangers in paradise" which is the earliest example of a music video being played on television in both the UK and US. Over the years, the music industry has seen a rise in the number of different music genres, from folk to pop, to reggae to rap. One of the newest music genres is electronic, which closely fits into the dance genre.As of late, the most expensive music video ever made was for the song Scream (1995), sung by Michael and Janet Jackson. The video is very futuristic and is - black and white, but most of the expenses for the video are made up by the 11 different sets that were used when filming, and the use of animations within the video. Approximately, $7,000,000 was spent producing the music video, which is a huge amount, even compared to the music videos that are currently being produced.
For example, after watching the music video for Taylor Swift's song 'Bad Blood' which incorporated big explosions and stunts, and extravagant sets and costumes, many people would have expected it to have cost a lot to produce. However, no expensive special effects were involved in the making of the video, therefore costs were a lot lower than expected. Another possible reason for why 'Scream' is the most expensive music video to ever be produced could be down to the fact that artists nowadays often have to spend their own money on producing a music video. Some artists cannot afford to spend too much as they are at a much bigger risk of losing the money that they invest into the video if it is not as successful as they hope it to be. Had YouTube been more prominent in 1995 when 'Scream' was released, Michael and Janet Jackson may have experienced an even bigger success because the more views the music video received would have led to an increase in the profit that the pair made.
The way in which people can consume music videos has developed and changed over the years from having to buy vinyl's to cassette's, to CD's to now being able to download music freely on smart phones or music download applications. This has therefore seen a decrease in the number of local music shops that people would of had to go to in order to buy a CD so they could listen to their favourite artists. The music industry has also seen a decrease in the number of record labels. Some of the biggest labels that were around roughly 20 years ago include Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. These labels would spend millions on helping new artists produce their music videos and promote themselves in order to attract an audience that will buy their music. Nowadays, there are less music labels around and artists often have to spend their own money on producing music videos. They also rely more on the development of social media and word of mouth to promote themselves and details regarding their new songs and tour dates.
I think the development in technologies is what has had the biggest impact on the way in which audiences consume music videos. The development in smart phones and the growth in the number of people who own smart phones has led to the release of hundreds of different music download applications, such as YouTube and Play Tube, which allow us to listen to and watch music videos. The development in technologies has also led to an improvement in the quality of music videos and the songs themselves. Artists have more of a choice of equipment to use during the filming of their music videos, most of which will produce a high quality music video.
The ways in which artists will make money is through the sales of their songs on iTunes or on CD, and with this money they will be able to invest it into any future music videos that they plan on making. Another possible way for an artist to make more money is through collaborating with other artists, as this will result in two or more fan bases coming together, therefore an increase in the size of the audience and potentially more sales. An artist and DJ who is well known for his collaborations is Calvin Harris, who has worked with other famous artists such as Florence Welch and Ellie Goulding.
It could be argued that the older generations of music listeners still prefer to listen to music on the radio or from a CD, rather than on newly developed music applications. They may not be as interested in the development of smart phones or do not require a smart phone, therefore they will have no use for music download applications. The younger generation of music listeners will be more interested in the different ways in which they can listen to music. However, on a whole, I think nowadays people are more open to listening to a wider range of music genres, and not just sticking to one. Not only are there more music genres for an audience to chose from, but quite often two or more artists will collaborate and work together in order to produce a song that doesn't necessarily fit into just one genre, therefore creating a different style of music. An example of this could be the song Five Four Seconds, which is sung by Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney. While Rihanna and Kanye West are more of hip hop music artists, Paul McCartney, ex-Beatle member is part of the rock/pop genre. Some may have seen the three of them as an unlikely collaboration, but the song was a big hit worldwide.
In conclusion, the music genre has developed massively, and this research has taught me that we do not have to stick with just one genre of music when creating a music video, that by experimenting with the different genres we will be able to come up with something that is different and more interesting. Also, it is important for a music video to keep the audience interested, and we have to ensure that it keeps in time with the genre of music that we have chosen. Music videos can be a good way for an artist to tell the audience a story, which does not require a huge budget to do (Taylor Swift - Bad Blood). Furthermore, once we have identified the target audience for our music video, we will need to ensure that the footage is relevant to the song and is appropriate for them to watch.
This post demonstrates some proficient understanding of how music videos have developed over the years. The research that you have included shows your understanding of how music genres have been explored and released differently over the years, through the use of smart phones and various technologies. But you need to compare these points back to the days before youtube, to consider if the same effect would of taken place.
ReplyDeleteFinally aim to develop on the points that you have included within your conclusion, by considering what ideas you can take and include within your own production. For example, how will the role of youtube assist you in ensuring your product is successful?