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.
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