The Purpose Of Music Videos

All music videos have different purposes. But I'm going to talk about five main purposes to why a music video has been released. The five main reasons are:
                                                                              - Promotion
                                                                              - To create a visual representation of the artist
                                                                              - Extend the play ability of a song and its income
                                                                              - Creating synergy with other media sectors
                                                                              -  To be art

Promotion
Artist can use their music videos to promote themselves. This is because as the music videos goes round the world the artist can raise awareness of themselves. This will lead to them selling more records, which will make them more money. One example of an artist using their music video to promote themselves is PSY. He used this music video "Gangnam Style" to make him self more popular. This worked very well for him, making him known all round the world.

 Other ways the artist can promote themselves is thought social media. Sites such as Twitter or Blogger, will allow the artist to promote themselves for free. Artist such as Justin Bieber and Arctic Monkeys both used social media to become known. Justin Bieber used YouTube to become known by known by music producers. He posted a video on YouTube of him singing which is how he became a worldwide superstar he is today. Also Lady Gaga has used Twitter to promote herself. Due to her 40.4 million follower she can promote her music or any products that she has out by tweeting about it. This will be seen by 40 million people, which will allow her to sell more of what she is promoting. The benefits of an artist promoting them selves of social media toward the audience is that, the audience can get to know the up coming artist for free and much quicker than is they had to buy a newspaper or music magazine. Also it benefits the label and artist, because as the artist gets more known world wide, they will sell more CD and single, which will then give the artist more chance to win awards for their music. All this will make the artist money. As the artist gets more money the record label will get more money and more known.     

To create a visual representation of the artist

Visual representation is where an artist has a opportunity to create very unique look, which allows them to stand out from other artist, and allows them to show people thought their image what kind of music they make. This helps the audience understand what kind of artist he or she is. The artist music video allows the viewers to see the artist while they are not performing live and it allows the viewers to see the type of character the artist is, due t the artist actions and what they are wearing. One artist that has a very unique look to them is Nicki Minaj. In her music video she dresses either very sexy, crazy or sophisticated depending on what the song is connoting. By doing this it offers connotations to the viewers what kind of person she is and what kind of music she will produce. Visual representation also allows Nicki Minaj to stand out from her competition. This is because she is in a industry which is dominated mostly by males. So she dresses very crazy to stand out from other rappers. Also she is moving away from a stereotypical female image. which is dressing in nice little dress and singing songs about love and friendship. Even if people don't like her music they will still know who she is and talk about her, which will create publicity for her. A good things for the record label is that, if their artist visual representation is very strong, the artist will sell more record which will not only create money for the artist but also the record label. But a bad thing for the record label is that, if their artist has a very strong visual representation they don't have to relay on music to make them money. They can work without the record label and produce products, such as a clothing line or perfume, which the record label gets no money from. Another artist which a very strong visual representation is Lady Gaga. This is because she does not have the conventional image of a normal lady singer. Lady Gaga has a very crazy and abstract look about her self. This is due to the fact that she dress in crazy and unique outfits. By her doing this, it makes her stand out in her genera of music, which is a mixture of pop ,dance, electronic and dance. This will allow her to become known by more people around the world, who could potentially become fans.

                                                     


Extend the playability of the song and its income

The artist main job is to make their music videos as creative and likable to the viewers as possible. So to get the music video publicised the record label will pay music channel, for them to play the music video more often. Some music channels are MTV Music who play Hip-Hop and Pop songs or Kerrang who play heavy metal and rock. Each channel play different genres of music. So the record label will look to see what channels plays their music and then pay them money to put the artist music video on their as many time as they can. By doing this it will attract more viewers to watch the channel. So because the channel is getting more views they will keep the music video on their for longer. This means that the artist is kept in the public eye for much long, which will create more publicity for the artist, which will allow them to become more famous and make more money. A song that is played a lot on music channels is Miley Cyrus Wrecking Ball. Because the music video is so different to other music videos, it is played more on music channels. It is different to most music videos because, it is not what you typically see a 20 year old girl doing. She is naked whilst swinging on a wrecking ball. As well as licking a sledge hammer. So as the music video gets bigger and more popular, other channels will want this music video to be shown on their channel, in order to get more view. So by doing this it will create much more publicity for the artist and the song and also the record label. Which will bring the artist and record label more money. Also another way to extend the playability of the song is to put it on YouTube. once the song is not as big it will not be shown on TV. So instead of just letting the music video die away, the artist can put the official video onto YouTube. YouTube is a video sharing website, where people can up load videos and it can be seen all round the world. So by the artist doing this it will allow their songs to still stay in the public eye. Also if the video gets millions and billions of hits it has the potential to win the YouTube music video award. This will tell people the the music video is very creative, and more people will watch it. This will create publicity for the artist.

Creating Synergy with other music sectors 

This is when a artist ties in with other music sector such as a film or music show and the artist will typically sings a song on the show. This will promote both the artist and their song and their show or film they are performing on. One example of this is when a artist such as Lady Gaga sings their song on the X Factor. By doing this the viewers that watch The X Factor will see Lady Gaga perform and may, at the end of the performance like the song they sang and bought the CD, which will make money for the artist. Or a Lady Gaga fan will known that she was performing on the X Factor and then watch the show. Once they have watched the show they may find it exciting and carry on watch the series, this will make more viewers for the show, which is what they want.
An artist can use their music video to promote a product  that they have created.This will enable them to make the product better known to their fans. Also it is very important for the artist to make their music video creative and fun which will make the audience that are not fans of the artist watch the music video and see the product and buy it.  One example of an artist promoting a product on a music video is, Nicki Minaj. When she features in Wales music video to Clapper, she has her new drink MYX Moscato. This is a way for her to promote her drink to the viewers. Also by her showing it in another artist video not only will her fans buy the drink but Wales fan will see Nicki Minaj with the drink and want to buy it. By doing this there are positive impact it has on the artist. It will allow them to  publicise their product more, which will allow them to sell more and earn more money. Also it has a positive impact on the audience because it will inform us on any of the artist new products that we have not heard or seen. But a negative impact it has on the audience is teenagers that like Nicki Minaj might hassle their parents to buy them the drink, and most of the time parents will give in and have to spend money on the product to please their child.

To be art 

Many artist don't just want their music video to be creative by what they wear, but they also use art to make their music video different and to explain the lyrics of the song better. An artist such as Lady Gaga will use wired art in her music video, which will connote a meaning about the song, and portray the kind of emotion she is felling. These music videos tend to be the most popular, due to the fact that the use of art make the video different and it gets people thinking about the meaning on the video. For example Lady Gaga music video to Marry the night is using art by having a 8 minute story at the beginning of the music video. The story is about her being in a mental institution and talking about how she will become famous. Thought out the story we see other metal people and them running about everywhere. Due to her crazy videos it gets people talking about her and her music which will enable her to become known by more people, creating a bigger fan base, who will make her and her record label money. But the use of art can have a negative impact on the song. this is because the art can make the meaning of the song so away. People might mistake the use of art to be crazy, so then they think the the song is just a crazy song and has no meaning behind it. But really the song has a very strong meaning behind, that normally relates to the artist childhood life.

Music Video Outlets

In this unit we have been asked to create a music video. Before we start to create it we have to do research on other music videos. Are first task is to talk about  Mainstream TV, Music channels, Direct CD/Special edition CD/DVD Releases, Streaming Websites, Artist Website and Downloads.

Mainstream TV

The first one I'm going to talk about is Mainstream TV. The main TV channels are channels 1 to 5.  These channels get the most views and is a very good way for a music artist in getting recognized, if one of their songs are played on it. For example channel 4 used to air what they called T4. This was a way to show music videos to the viewers. This was normally shown between 9am till 2pm. Mainstream TV is linked with with outlets such as, Streaming websites, such as YouTube. These websites now take over mainstream TV channels, because people don't need to wait for music videos to come out on TV channels such as top of the pops, and instead search them on YouTube. 

Good and bad things about mainstream TV

There are good and bad things about main stream TV showing music videos.
Good/Bad things for the Artist: 
Some good things are the artist is that if their music video is shown, a lot of viewers will see it, which will create publicity for the artist which will enable them to become more successful and known. For example BBC 1 get on average 26,986 million daily viewers.  Some of the bad things of having music videos on mainstream TV for the artist is that, the channel will have to show the clean version of the song, this is bad for the artist because some artist will only want the dirty version shown, due to the fact that it sounds better and their message can get across more easily.

Good/Bad things for the Audience
Some good things for the audience is that these channels are easily accessible, so when the music video is on, people don't have to wait around to get the channel to see it. Another advantage to the views is that these channels are all free, so they don't have to pay money to watch the music video that is on at the time. The bad things about showing music videos on main stream TV for the audience, is that they would have to wait a long time just to see the music video. Because these main stream channels are not made to just show music videos, they have other type of shows to show. So if you have just  missed a music video that has just been shown you will have to wait a long time to see it again. Also the music video that is on at the time may not be the type of music that you like. So you have to keep on waiting until the channel shows the song you like.
Good/Bad things for the record label
Some of the good things for the record label is that, if an artists music video that the label have sing, is on main stream TV, the music video will have the record labels name and logo on it. So by this being on a main TV channel that millions of viewers watch, the record label will become more known, and it gives the label the change to change from a subsidiary label to a major label. By becoming a major label    you have the potential in making a lot more money, which can be spend on the advertisement of artist merchandise, such as perfume of a clothing line. This will make the artist bigger and better known. This will lead to more people buying the artist music which will make the record label more money. Which is their main objective. Some of the bad things for the record label is that, their target market they are trying to sell to don't really watch the mainstream channel that the music video is shown on. So this will mean the the label will not make as much money, to as if the music video would have been shown on a channel that their target market watches.
Good/Bad things for the song 
Some of the good things for the actually song in have the music video on mainstream TV, is that it can become better known. More people will watch the music video and the song has the change to become a song that is known world wide. Some of the bad things for the song is that people might like the music video so much that they don't listen to the actually song and the audience disregard the actually meaning on the song.

Music Channels

The second outlet i'm going to talk about is music channels. These consisted of channels such as 4Music, VIVA, MTVMusic, SmashHits and much more. These channels are pacifically designed to just show music videos, so this mean that the people that watch these channels, like music and are the people who buy the artist music. 4Music is a very popular music channel and some of the music videos it shows are Miley Cyrus "Wrecking ball".and Katy Perry "Roar". Other outlets that tie in with music channels are streaming websites. This is because you can go straight onto YouTube and watch a music video that you want. unlike music channels, where you might not like the music video they show.

Good/Bad things for the Artist: 
If the artist music video is shown on a music channel, this is good for them because, the people who watch these channels are into music, so when they see the music video the artist will become better known by music fan, and these fans can become fans of the artist. Which will lead to the fans buying the artist music which will make the artist money. Also if the artist shown one of their products in the music video, more people will become aware of the product and buy it. The bad things that can happen to the artist by having their music videos on a music channels is that, the channel might need to shown the clean version, which might not get across the meaning the artist wanted to get across.
Good/ Bad things for the Audience
Music videos that are shown on music channel are good for the audience because, is on a music channel there is always music videos being shown, so this means that the viewers don't have to wait around to see a music video. They can get have consent access to  music videos. The bad things about showing a music videos on a music channel for the audience, is that they have to pay for the channel. these channels do not come free so you would have to pay for the channel in order to watch it. Also the music channel might not show the type of music that you like, so you would have to wait longer to see the music that you like.
Good/Bad things for the record label
Music videos being shown on music channels are good for the record label because, as the music video plays it will shown the viewers, the record labels name and logo. This will make the label better known which will allow it to make more money. The bad things for the record label is that, people might just listen and watch the music videos on music channels, and not buy the CD or pay to download the music video. This will lose the record label money.
 Good/Bad things for the song
Some of the good things for the actually song is that it can become know better across a wider range of music fans. The bad things for the song is that, viewers might just want the music video and not pay attention to the lyrics of the song, so the viewers will not get the message that the song is trying to get across.

Direct CD/Special edition CD/DVD Releases

These are CD albums that the artist produces, which will allow you to have access to some of their songs, and some of the special edition CD/DVD might have a special CD in it which is a extra song or it may be a music video for a song from the album. Some CD albums that artist have made are; Nicki Minaj Pink Friday or Drake Nothing Was The Same. This outlet ties in with Downloads. This is because in stead of going to shops and buying a CD you have easily just download the album for free, on sites such as LimeWire.

Good/Bad things for the Artist: 
The good things are that the artist will get money every time a CD is sold. Also if millions of people buy the CD the artist would get a chance to win a award, which will create publicity for the artist. The bad things for the artist is that, they might want the CD to come out of a certain data but people that work in the shop might get their hands on the CD and listen to it and leak it on the internet before the release date
Good/Bad things for the Audience
The good things for the audience are that, once they have bough the CD they can keep the CD for life and listen and watch the music video when ever they want to. Also they download the CD onto their phones of laptops and listen to it when they are on the go. Also when the CD comes out the artist my be in a store to sign CD and take pictures with their fans.The bad things for the audience is that they have to pay at least £8.99 for the CD album and more if it is a special CD edition. Also they have to go out and buy it, they cant just get it on the internet.
Good/Bad things for the record label
The good things for the record label is that is on CD it as the record label name, allows the buys to become aware of the record label. This will then make the record label better known by more people which will then make the record label money. The bad things for the record label is that people might copy the CD and sell it on for cheaper. This is bad because it will lose the record label money.
Good/Bad things for the song
The good things that can happen for the song is that, people can listen to the song whenever they want, which will make the song more known by more people. This could lead to the song getting awards. The bad things for the song is that in a CD album their are about 9-13 songs so, other songs may be better than others and some weaker songs may not be heard because people like other songs on the album.

Downloads
These are legal or illegal sites where you can download music videos or albums form. Examples of these are sites such as: I Tunes or Lime Wire.





Good/Bad things for the Artist:

Once people have downloaded the artist song, they might like the song or music video so much that they go and buy a ticket to go see the artist in concert or buy their products, which will make money for the artist. One bad thing for the artist is that people can get the artists music videos for free, this mean the artist won't make any money.  

Good/Bad things for the Audience

It is a free and easy way to get music videos or songs onto their phones or laptops. You can do it at any time of the day and can get as many songs as you want. Some bad things for the audience is that, when downloading the music video it can take a very long time to download. Also when downloading the video it can cause your laptop to download a virus, which is not good for your laptop. Also the quality of the music video will not be as good as it can be.

Good/Bad things for the record label

Once people have downloaded a music video they might become a fan of the artist and buy their music which will make money for the record label. One bad things for the record label is that it will not make money from the downloads. So they have less money to spend on the artist publicity. 

 Artist Website

This is a website made to inform people about the artist and what they have been up to. Example for an artist website is Nicki Minaj (mypinkfriday.com)

Good things for the Artist: 

It allows the artist to share information with their fans, such as albums, new songs or music videos. They can also put songs on it for their fans to listen to.
Good/Bad things for the Audience
It is a easy and quick way to find out information about the artist and listen to their music videos. They can also listen to the artist music for free and without having to go out and buy it. Bad things for the audience is that you have to go on the artist website you have to have access to a computer or laptop, with out it you can not go on  the website.

Good things for the record label
It is a way for the record label to make themselves more known by having their name on the artist website.
Good things for the song
An artist can advertise their songs better, and to viewers that are interested in their music. This will allow the song to become better known and hopefully win awards.


Streaming Websites

These are website that are legal, and places where you can use the internet to watch music videos. Streaming websites are websites such as YouTube.

Good things for the Artist:
The artist can  put their music videos on a streaming website and it can go all round the world and anyone can watch it. This will create publicity for the artist, and it will allow them to sell more records which will make them money. Some bad things for the artist is that  if their songs is leaked it can be put on a streaming website and go all round the world before the release date. So then when the actually song is officially out it will not have the same impact because people have already seen the music video.

Good/Bad things for the Audience

Streaming websites are free to go on and you can watch the music video when every you like and as many times as you like. Bad things for the audience is that, sometimes on a streaming website such as you tube it may buffer for a while so you have to wait a bit to listen to the song. Also you need to buy a laptop or computer in order to go on the streaming website which will cost a lot of money.

Good/Bad things for the record label
The record label will become better known due to the fact that the artist is becoming more known around the world. This will make money which is their main objective.
Good/Bad things for the song
When putting the song on a streaming website it can all round the world and it can become big in many countries. This will lead to the song being used for public events such as an opening song for a Olympic game. Some bad things for the song is that it may be disregarded and people may just watch the music video and not listen to the lyrics of the song, which may have a very important meaning to it.