Tuesday, 29 October 2013

The Purpose Of Music Videos

1)  To promote a new music release
One of the purposes of making a music video is to promote a new music release. This helps raise awareness of new album/ single (raise music sales).  An example would be Michael Jacksons famous hit in 1982. This was the first song to last 15 minutes. Michael Jackson was already famous before Thriller came out however, Thriller was directed by feature film director John Landis, who directed 'An American Werewolf in London'. Having John Landis who is a well known director would benefit Micheal Jackson as he would become more known and popular as his director is famous and has a lot of viewers and fans. The main positive impact this music video had on the artist was that this was the first long music video which attracted more audience, and also meant that the artist would have more viewers. Audience stayed awake all night to watch Michael Jacksons music video. This hit made a huge success for the music industry as they sold up to 350,000  within the first few months.

Videos released can become an event in itself , this means a music video released can bring more fame to an artist. Another way of promoting a new release would be to release a new music video. Releasing a new music video will help the artist gain more recognition as they will be more known when the audience see the music video. When Thriller was released Michael Jackson gained fame before releasing the music video as this was a big event and it was an even bigger event once the music video was released as the audience enjoyed it. The music industry was also successful. They made huge profits from this one single. 

    


Another way to promote a new music video would be through internet. This can raise awareness in areas were the artist is unknown such as adverts, YouTube, social network and much more. This is one way the artist can improve their popularity status. It helps them become known were they may be unknown. An example would be 'Gangam style' the artist was unknown but once this song was uploaded on to YouTube, it became a well known song through word of mouth. This artist which was unknown has gained so much fame from one song. This song and artist which were once unknown have gained fame through social networking site YouTube and this song has become so famous that it is also played in shops. The audience don't know the actual meaning of the song as it is in another language but because this song is very addictive and different it has attracted a vast range of audience. 

                                                           
           

2) To create a visual representation of an artist

One of the advantages of creating a visual representation of an artist is that it allows the artist to be seen while not actually performing.The positive impact it has on the artist is that the artist does not have to appear live while performing instead they have a flow to the music video, which helps create a story rather than just having a song performed. 

There are many advantages of creating a visual representation of an artist. A video can create a story. This basically means a music video which is visible can create a story and influence the audience to visualize a story behind the music video.

Another advantage would be videos have deeper meaning. This means videos create a deeper meaning for audience when they can visually see it rather than just listen to it. Another advantage would be videos that are visual shows the audience how the artist is, this helps the audience understand and also helps portray the character of the artist. 



                                              
   

Another way of creating a visual representation of an artist is by enhancing  an artists brand. The positive impact it has on the artist is that they can present a new brand. Example if the artist wanted to launch a new product this will be the best way to launch a new product as it will be well known and it will also help the artist to gain more popularity.The audience will also be pleased and excited to have a product which has been launched by an artist such as a perfume. A lot of Britney spears fans would love to buy this product just because it a product of Britney spears. Products may also bring success and profit to a music industry as they may gain more recognition through selling products advertised by the artist.
                                                          
        







Communicating the energy values and style of the artist is another way of creating a visual representation of an artist. An example would be the band 'Rage'. The positive impact this has on the artist is that the artist becomes well known and also the meaning behind the music video is portrayed to the audience. This band presents a big meaning and moral behind their music video. They highlight the meaning that money is not everything and also highlights the point that a vast amount of America is suffering. This has a huge affect on the audience as it influences them and portrays the meaning behind the song and how it relates to the meaning of the song.










   













Allows the artist to reinvent themselves when creating a visual representation of an artist. If an artist wanted to represent something in there music video they may present it to show how it once was and how it is currently. This may be a real life experience or someone else experience. The positive impact it has on the artist is that it allows the artist to portray a story for the audience. This affects the audience as it explains to them the meaning of the music and the impact it has had on people. 



3) To extend the play ability to provide additional income from a song


 






Frequent play on music channels after release keeps artist in public eye and music sales going on. This has a positive impact on the artist as it helps them gain fame and also helps them stable their popularity. This is the best way to become known, as the music is presented to a vast amount of viewers. The audience will also get the chance to listen and see new releases and decide weather they like the release. This is an advantage for the audience as they can view the music for free. The music industry will also gain profit if the music is presented to the audience, this is the place they will gain more fame and profit from if the audience like the music video.

Royalty payments from music channel helps extend the play ability to provide income from a song. This means the payments from the music channel allows the song to be played on channels were it provides income from the song. If a new song was released the amount of viewers would be a lot and so the income of the song will also be a lot. This has a positive impact on the artist as it gives them the chance to become known and also presents them to the audience. The audience can view the new release and decide weather they like this new release or not. The music industry will have to put in money to get the new release to be played in public, although money is put in for this music companies will also gain more profit if there is alot of viewers who like the song.

 Another way the artist and music industry make profit is from the advertise income from website views. For example you go on YouTube and view a music video, before you can watch  the music video you have to wait for the advertise to finish or you have to wait for 5 seconds  before you can  skip the advert. The people who want the ad to be presented in that music video  will pay the publishers of  the music video and every time a viewer watches the video the publisher of the music video will  gain profit. This positive impact on the artist as it helps them  gain recognition and also helps  them become popular. The music industry also benefits from t this as they gain money for every  view. The audience can view music videos and the advantage of this is that it is free of charge. Another way artist can gain profit, popularity and fame is also from 'vevo'. If an artist  has a 'vevo' account this means the artist has their own channel on YouTube which means their  fans and audience who like the song can subscribe and the artist can gain profit from this.



       


There is another way to extend the play ability to provide additional income from a song. This means to have a DVD collection released. An example would be if an artist released a DVD collection of their songs in one album. Britney spears released a DVD collection of her songs in one album. This has a positive impact 
on the artist as it allows them to become known to a wider audience. The music industry also gains profit and they also become more popular as they also gain more recognition along with the artist. The audience who are fans of the music will purchase the DVD collection so that they have a copy and they can play it when and wherever they want.

     


4) To create synergy (Business tie-ins) with other media sectors


Music and television is one sector of media which creates synergy. An example would be One direction, they have made many music videos, some of which are presented on TV, they also have albums and they have also had concerts. This has a positive impact on the artist and music industry as they gain more recognition and fame. This also has a positive impact on the audience as they can see the artist at concerts where they can personally meet One direction. 

  


 Another synergy which is known is when the artist may enter a new sector of media industry. This again relates to the Sky fall, the artist Adele sang for Sky fall which meant she also joined a new sector of media which was the film industry. This has a positive impact on the artist as it helps them gain more fame and recognition. The music industry also gains popularity and recognition if the music is a hit, the music industry and the artist will be successful and gain profit. The audience will have a huge impact on weather this music video was a successful. If the audience liked the music video the artist and the film would become more popular.




    

5) To be art in their own right


One way is when the music video is very memorable. This means the video has a even bigger impact than the song itself. The music video may mean much more than the actual song. For example a music video may have huge impact on the audience rather than just the song. A music video is visual so it affects the audience in a different way. This has a positive impact on the artist as they can see weather the viewers are interested in the story behind the song. The music industry also gains popularity as the music video is set by the music industry so if the song becomes a hit they gain profit and recognition from this. The audience will also be affected by the music video as to weather they like it and as to weather they are influenced by the music video. It may have an affect on the audience if they understand the story behind the song.



Another way an artist can be art in their own right is pioneering use of technology.  A music video which has a different range of camera techniques will keep the audience engaged. This has a positive affect on the artist as it presents them in a way in which the audience may not have thought of them as. The music industry has to take a lot of things in to consideration such as location, props, camera techniques and much more. The camera techniques can also affect the audience, it can have a huge impact on the audience as camera techniques help create a story.

The artist can be the art of their own right by creating enigmas or narratives across multiple videos. An enigma is just another word for mystery. An example for this is the song Just from Radio head. This music video ends in a mystery. The reason behind this to keep the audience in suspense. This has a positive impact on the artist as it keeps the audience hooked on to know what happens. The music industry is also known for the camera techniques and how the music video is presented. The audience is left with a mystery, this type of music video keeps the audience hooked on to know what happens at the end but if its left as a mystery it just keeps the viewer’s thinking.           

                 























Another synergy would be the increase of awareness for both institutions simultaneously. An example would be the film Sky fall, the artist Adele sang for this movie but was not seen in the music video. Even though Adele is not seen it benefits her as she is singing the song but it also benefits the producer and director of sky fall as Adele is promoting the film. This has a positive impact on the artist as she becomes more popular by promoting this new film she also becomes known. The music industry also makes sure to check weather the song goes with the atmosphere and weather they feel they will gain profit from this.The audience may like the song and this is the best way for a singer to become recognized.

   

Music Video Outlets





Music outlets:


Mainstream TV:


 Mainstream TV is watching TV on terrestrial channels. This means TV viewers can view these channels on TV. An example of mainstream TV is channels 1-5. These TV channels feature terrestrial channels which audience may watch on a daily bases. There is a range of mainstream TV channels which allows viewers to watch channels such as BBC 1, BBC 2, ITV, channel 4 and Channel 5.The advantage of t
his type of music outlet is that it is free, except for BBC channels because, viewers have to pay license fee for all BBC channels.


There are not many advantages of mainstream TV but some include:

- Many people can access this type of music outlet
-Easy access
- Wide range of audience
- The artist and music industry become more known and gain more popularity


There are many disadvantages of mainstream TV such as:

-Channels may be unavailable
-Advertisement may cause distraction
-May not have the music the audience may like
- Some videos may not be shown at specific times
- The record company and industry have to pay the channel to be shown on Tv

The positives of mainstream TV is that it reaches a range of audience. This allows artists to gain more recognition, if the artist is new this is the best way to gain popularity and a way become to become 
known. The disadvantage of this type of music outlet is that, audience may not like to watch what is on TV as they can not choose which music videos is to be played and they may just prefer to watch it on YouTube as they can chose which music videos they would like to watch and also when they would like to watch it. Another disadvantage would be that the music video may be unavailable at times when you would like to watch. Channel 4 once had a music show called 'T4' this was a program which featured music videos, this is no longer available as there would not be a wide range of audience as viewers are able to access music through internet on sites such as YouTube. Another music show which is no longer available is called 'Top of the pops' this music show is also no longer available as music can be accessed many other ways such as the internet, radio and much more. 


One reason why mainstream TV is not as popular as before is because of other music video outlets such as 'YouTube'. This music outlet allows viewers to access music whenever they want so people no longer have to wait for the music they like or prefer to come on  TV to listen to it. This also means that there is also a small amount of music channels on mainstream TV. 






 
Music Channels:

This type of music outlet is when audience can view music channels on their television. This is a  popular way to access music videos and new releases. This is a popular music outlet as a wide audience can access the music through music channels.

There are many advantages of watching music channels such as:

 -You have easy access
-Record and watch again
-Free
-Range of genres
- Good quality
- If the artist is new in the industry it gives them the chance to b heard by a wide range of audience

There are many disadvantages of watching music channels such as:

-Not many viewers
-Many viewers may not have that music channel
- Ad breaks
-Sky users have to pay for the music channels
-Not all music are viewed


The biggest advantage of a music channel is that there are specific channels for music genres. This is an advantage as the the viewer can watch the channel which presents the genre of song which they prefer. An example would be different genres of music such as

hip hop, rock, and much more. There are a lot of disadvantages such as not a lot of viewers because some music channels are restricted as you have to pay for, not all music videos are viewed and much more. One of the main disadvantages and drawbacks of music channels is Ad breaks. A lot of viewers including myself do not like the Ad breaks in between as it is unnecessary and not needed. Examples of music channels include a variety such as MTV MUSIC, Scuzz and much more. MTV MUSIC plays a range of different music genres such as romance, emotional and hip hop music. There are many different artist such as boy bands, single artist and much more. Scuzz is a music channel which plays one type of music genre which is rock. This music channel is for rock fans. The people who are in to rock music will watch this channel.

As mentioned before music channels have decreased and there is no longer a range of music channels on mainstream TV as the audience can access music online on websites such as 'YouTube'. This gives the audience the ability to access music whenever they want and they no longer have to wait for it to come on TV.

                                                                             







    


CD/DVD special release:


Many artist release CD/DVD because they want to gain more recognition and popularity. This is one of the best ways for an artist to become more popular and known. It also gives the audience and fans the chance to have a copy of their favourite artist songs. One of the main reasons artists make CD/DVD is so that their fans can purchase it, no matter how big the fan is they are not going to purchase a CD/DVD which can be watched on line, so to keep the fans and audience entertained and to make sure they have more sales they add footage such as backstage footage, rehearsals and much more. With CD its only the songs so the disadvantage is that the audience can access the song on line so there is no need to purchase a CD, unless they want to have a copy were they can listen to it in the car, etc.


The advantages of CD/DVD releases are:

- Easy access
- Good quality
-Available in shops
- Extra features
- Additional songs may be added
- The person who purchased it can keep it forever
- Artist and music industry gain profit for every CD/DVD purchase

The disadvantages of CD/DVD releases are:

- It costs money
- The CD/DVD can get scratched then its useless
- Money goes to waste when it becomes old
- When the CD/DVD becomes old the music industry and artist no longer make profit from selling the CD/DVD collections

 The disadvantage of having a DVD copy is that you can only watch it on a DVD player, this will cost much more, however the advantage is the extra footage can only be accessed on the DVD copy so the audience may feel its worth having the DVD copy.

An example would the 'One Direction- This is us', this is a DVD copy, which was also released in the cinema, and is now available on DVD. When audience purchase this the artist and record label will make a lot of money and this one of the best ways of becoming known and also gaining profit for it. If the artist has a lot of viewers such as 'One Direction' then its an easy way of selling and making profit.

One way in which CD/DVD companies may lose out on profit is when the audience do not buy CD/DVD.People now have an easier way to access music and if they feel the need to have this they no longer have to buy the product because they can download it instead.

               


Streaming Websites


Streaming websites is a common way for audience to access latest music and old music videos. YouTube is a well known website and it also has a lot of viewers. On YouTube the audience can have easy access to music.


There are many advantages of streaming websites such as: 

- Its free
-Some artist may upload their latest videos
- Its legal
-Easy access for audience
-Audience can comment and like videos
- Artist gains profit if viewers subscribe on artist 'vevo' account

There are also many disadvantages of streaming websites such as:

- Adverts
-Some may be illegal
- Some videos may be poor quality
-Buffering
-Time consuming
- Some viewers may watch and subscribe on other YouTube accounts and not artists 'vevo' account so the artist will not get any money from it

There is a lot more viewers on streaming websites unlike music shows as the audience can access the genre of music they like and they do not have to wait or watch the music they do not like. One of the many reasons why record label do not gain much profit is because, most viewers are internet users. In order for the artist and record label to gain profit there is now advertisements before most YouTube video, so every time a person views a music video and there is a advert before the music video the advertisement company will have to pay the person in charge of the music video and this is one of the ways they gain profit for their music release. Another way Artist make money from YouTube is by having their own channels such as having 'vevo'. This channel allows fans and audience to access artists songs and they can also subscribe which is how the artist can gain profit. An example is Justin Timerlake has his own 'vevo' page on YouTube in which fans and audience can view his music videos and also subscribe.



Viewers would rather download songs rather than streaming videos as it is much more easier and you can access the music all the time instead of streaming. The disadvantage of streaming is when the videos buffer so many people may chose to download rather than stream videos. 






    


Artist's Websites


There are many artist who have their own website. A vast majority of artist have their own website. For an artist to have a website it helps the audience and fans to stay in contact and know what the artist is up to. This also means the artist will have to update their website every so often so that the fans and audience stay engaged with the artist.


There are many advantages of artist's website such as:

- Only plays the artist's music
-Download is available
- News about the artist
-easy access
-Good quality
- The music industry and artist become popular, well known and also have more fans who know about this artist

There are also some disadvantages of artists website such as:

- The audience/ fans may have to make an account to view the artists website
-Account may cost money
- Some views may not have internet access
- Some artist may not update their website
- The artist has to pay to have a website

One of the biggest advantages for the artist is that this helps them gain more recognition and the artists website also helps portray the character of the artist. This also helps the audience to understand and get to know the artist. An example would be JLS, this is a good example of artist that use their website to keep updating their profile for fans. This is one way the fans can know when there will be a new release or when there is a new product ect. The website link is http://www.jlsofficial.com/.

The artists update their website so that fans can know all about them and when there is a new music release and much more.

Many viewers would prefer to watch and listen to music on YouTube than to listen to music or watch music videos on artist websites because, you may need to register to access the songs and videos. Viewers may feel that its not important to register as you can access the same type of music on YouTube instead.


            


Downloads legal 


There are many ways of downloading. The legal way of downloading has more disadvantages than advantages. One of the famous way of downloading is iTunes. This is one legal way of downloading

The only advantage of downloading through legal website is that you are not downloading any illegal music as you have purchased the music. Downloading music the legal way through iTunes is just the same as purchasing the music, instead of having a CD you have the song downloaded to your computer, phone etc.
When downloading music the legal way the money you give for the music goes to artist and record label and that is were they also gain profit from. The main disadvantage of downloading the legal was is that you have to purchase the song, on iTunes if you were to download a song you will have to purchase the song.

A lot of viewers would prefer to download the illegal way because it is cheaper. Downloading the illegal way is also easier and a lot of viewers would prefer this as you do not have to pay and its also accessible for everyone.



          




Downloads illegal


Although there is a legal way of downloading, most people download music illegally. Weather a person may do it intentionally or unintentionally any music which is downloaded without paying for is most likely to be illegal download unless it is a website like YouTube converter as you are converting the video in to MP3 instead of downloading the music from another illegal website.  Downloads which are done illegally affect the artist and record label as they do not gain any profit and they are unable to sell records as the audience are downloading the music for free rather than purchasing the music. Many people all over the world are now downloading ,the illegal way as there is easy access and it is also free. Although many people may download the illegal way there is also a risk, because, if the person gets caught for downloading illegally they can be fined. This an advantage for the record company as there are also many people who do not trust sites as much because, they may contain viruses. A lot of users now use YouTube converter as this website helps people download music for free by converting YouTube videos in to MP3. This is not illegal as you are not downloading the music directly rather you are converting a video in to an MP3 format.


Some people may feel that downloading the legal way is much better than downloading the illegal way because, it is the safe and legal way. Downloading the legal way means the artist and record company gain profit which is why fans may prefer to download through I tunes as the artist gains more popularity and recognition.