History Of Music Videos

When artists have a new song out, one of the first things they think about doing is a music video. This is great promotion for the song and the artist. Plus its a way of seeing the artist perform, and get to know them that little bit better.

Music videos are a relatively new way of promotion. It all started when in 1940, Disney created a animated film 'Fantasia', based around classical music. People hadn't really seen this before. This helped Disney promote their film. As this is what artists do now, is promote their music through a music video.

1964, Top Of The Pops was created, this was where artists performed thier new song, by singing it live, and every Thursday the show would air. Music videos was then shown on here too, and this would be a great platform for new music wanting to be shown to the audience.

In 1965, Bob Dylan released a 'music video' for his song 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', this music video was a very simple consept. All the music video involves is Bob Dylan holding lyric cards, and he is just going along with the song, the video is in Black and White. This video to us now would be very boring but then this promoted his song and was seen as interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-J4O2-nsFBA
= Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues (1965)

The first 'real' music video was done by Queen in November 1975, and the song was 'Bohemian Rhapsody', this was all because Queen couldn't make an appearance at the popular show Top Of The Pops, where they was scheduled to perform the song, so instead they made this video. This blew up in the music industry and other artists started to copy. This was seen as a music video because it had all the elements like Performance, and a small peice of Narrative.



Without this video, other artists today wouldn't even think of making a video to get the music out there, so Queen have influenced many artists in doing this. The video is mainly performance based, it has a lot of live action but still with an abstract feel to it.

The Beatles then carried on from this and made their own music videos and really got the music industry into it, they was the first band to make music videos for marketing and promotional purposes.

'Love Me Do' was the first Beatles song to be realeased and with the release came this music video. The video shows a short performance and clips of the Beatles. This is again, another influence on many artists today. The video is in black and white, as colour TV didnt come around until the 1950's/1960's. Colour TV came earlier for Americans, so some of the Beatles earlier music videos are in Black and White, but this did't stop the videos from being successfull.

In 1981, MTV was created, a television channel in which they would show music videos, the first music video seen on the channel was The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star



Then after this was shown it was Pat Benatar's - You Better Run that was the second music video to be shown. MTV then evolved and got better, they started making 30 minute programmes on the channel in which they would show the latest music videos.

Madonna in 1982 then brought out 'Everybody' which was her first single, this music video was mainly performance based, but made Madonna who she is today. Madonna is a huge artist and has done numerous amounts of music videos. if you look at 'Everybody' to 'Celebration' there is a big difference, and not just because of over the years the technology getting better but also her style of music video. In the first music video its more performance, and you are getting to see what Madonna would be like if you saw her perform live, but in her most recent music video, you see its more abstract, and not much performance. The Beatles performing would have influenced Madonna when making her first video, just like many other artists in the late 1900's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWTDR6ztcnQ&ob=av2n= Madonna - Celebration (2009)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOqr_x_9fMc&ob=av2e= Madonna - Everybody (1982)

Music videos then started to get better and more advance, and in most there would a story (a narrative). Michael Jackson took it to the next extreme by making a mini movie within his music video. It had great narrative from start to finish, it also is one of the longest music videos of all time.



This made people think differently about music videos and that they just wasnt a way of promoting the artist but also making you see them and thier creative skills. It also showed other good talents like directors and actors, It was also using synergy. Michael Jackson was an artist known for very good music videos, it would cause excitement whenever he would bring a new song out because whenever he did a new music video came along with it.

Other Michael Jackson music videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRdxUFDoQe0
= Michael Jackson - Beat It (1983)

http://youtu.be/yURRmWtbTbo
= Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough (1979)

Now music videos are a huge part of an artists image. MTV is even more popular now, and has...

• MTV Hits

Music channel which mainly focus' on mainstream music, like Pop and R&B.

• MTV Base

This is R&B, Hip-Hop and Soul

• MTV Rocks

This is Rock music, and Alternative, with a bit of Indie

• MTV Classic

Old Music.

MTV also now isnt the only music channel around, there is around 30 music channels now like The Box, Viva, Kerrang!, NME and many more.. all showing different genres of music.