Purpose of Music Videos

There are many reasons why music videos are made. The chief reason is to sell the song, and in doing so to make money for the artist and the record company. It also allows the listener to more fully understand the song and relate to the lyrics in a more personal manner. It helps to promote the artist. It is also simply to entertain.



1.      A music video helps understand what the lyrics of the song mean.

It allows us to

·         Understand the chorus and verses of the song

·         Identify the main voice of the song, the voice of her artist

·         Recognise and relate this voice to the star

·         To understand the story the artist is trying to tell us in the song

·         To establish the artist as the storyteller.


2.      A music video helps us to establish a relationship between the song and the visuals on the video.

·         Music videos use certain images and shots to explain the meaning of the song and the genre

·         Sometimes the meaning of the song is completely ignored in the music – disjuncture

·         Sometimes images and camera shots are repeated in the music video – this is amplifying the messages they are portraying and fixing them into the audience’s head

3.      A music video can promote the narrative and performance of the song.

·         A music video can promote a song by the way it analyses the lyrics

·         A character often does what it says in the lyrics e.g. if the lyrics say jump, the star jumps

·         There are three main types of music video

Performance based video – the artist or band is performing the song throughout the majority of the video.

Narrative based video – the video tells a story linked to the lyrical contents of the song

• Conceptual based video – based around a particular concept or idea

    4.   Technical aspects of a video

·         The artist is the main character acting out the role

·         It makes the song realistic

·         The audience connects with the song

·         Holds video together through the Mise- en -scene, special effects, sound, editing

·         The lighting / colour sets the mood and emphasises certain parts of the song. It also creates a dramatic effect to thrill the audience

·         Beats of the song create cuts to go with the rhythm of the song

5.      Star Image

·         Vital aspect of the video

·         Brings the unique style of the video using such things as costumes, moves, appearance

·         Promotes the artist in the public eye

·         Enhances their reputation

·         The video will allow the star to get their message across with more power

6.      To sell the music

·         If a song is accompanied by a video, the audience for that song will be greatly increased, as not only can it be heard on radio and such sites as itunes, it can also be seen on sites such as YouTube and Vimeo, thereby reaching a much bigger audience and potentially selling more and making more money.

7.      To encourage controversy

·         Often lyrics in a song can include controversial elements, such as homosexuality, but it is difficult for people to directly understand

·         A video can make this much more explicit.

·         People will begin to talk about it and discuss it, and the profile of the singer and the record will increase which will earn more money in sales.

8.      To entertain

·         A music video is for entertainment and many people get immense pleasure from watching a music video

9.      To make a social or political point

·         This is more common for solo artists or artists who produce independent videos
They can include messages to try to change the world.

When I am creating my own music video, I will need to consider the genre of the video and what I want to achieve by producing it. The point of the video will depend on the chosen genre.