Industrial Context: History of the music video

 History of the Music Video:

·      1940s- Introduction of the Scopitone which were majorly placed in nightclubs, bars, restaurants and amusement centres. These were the forerunner of music videos.

·      1960s- The Beatles released a feature length film called ‘A hard day’s night’, featuring their own music. Bob Dylan created one of the first televised music videos to his 1966 track “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (This has become a cult classic and has been parodied many times, including Love Actually and Stormzy’s “Know me from” music video)

·      1970s- Advances in technology like chroma key (green screen), meant that music videos became more visually dramatic and impressive. Producers began to realise the power of music videos, and started using higher budgets to create unique and memorable videos. Advertising potential was also realised leading to the creation of to platforms like Top of the Pops.

E.G. Queen introduced their video for hit single “Bohemian Rhapsody” which was viral worldwide and is still iconic to this day. Artists harnessed the power of music videos to promote themselves and their star persona, increasing their following and gaining popularity

·      1980s- MTV introduced which completely changed the game. Music videos were the best way of promoting a band or artist, and MTV even asked record labels to create them for free at the start. 

Michael Jackson’s Thriller 1983- Created a full 13 minute video exclusively for MTV using a budget of $500k and the director of American Werewolf, John Landis to make the video as authentic as possible. 

·      Now- There are 43 music channels and unlimited online streaming sites like YouTube, where music videos can be watched with the click of a button. It’s safe to say they don’t have as much of  an impact on an artist’s success as they used to because of how accessible music is these days, but the digital convergence between different platforms that artists are active on ensures that music videos are still a key factor on raising awareness of an artist, gaining an audience, building persona, and keeping them relevant