Purposes of Music Videos

Purposes of Music Videos

• To make money!
• To promote the artist, single or album.
• To persuade the audience to buy the album (CD or download).
• To raise the awareness or profile of the artist or group to the audience.
• To promote a product (Product Placement), e.g. Christina Aguilera promoting perfume (Not Myself Tonight), Leona Lewis promoting Avatar (I See You), Adele promoting Skyfall (Skyfall).

Music Videos exist as a single strand in multimedia campaign and is one way to promote a song. The music industry has a relationship with all kinds of other media industries, e.g. Radio, TV, Print Media, Film, New Media (Youtube), etc. This can create synergy across many platforms, such as Film.

Other than Film, synergy can affect other platforms like TV programmes and video games. Here are examples of synergy between music and other platforms:-

(Everything I Do) I Do It For You by Bryan Adams (Theme Song of "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves")

Includes scenes from the movie.

Love is All Around by Wet Wet Wet (Theme Song of "Four Weddings and a Funeral")

Includes scenes from the movie.

SkyFall by Adele (Theme Song of "SkyFall")

Includes scenes from the movie.

I See You by Leona Lewis (Theme Song of "Avatar")

Includes scenes from the movie.
The tune of this song can be heard several times during the film and in the film's soundtrack.
The term "I See You" is also used among the characters in the film.

Wherever You Are by The Military Wives Choir (Theme Song of "The Choir: Military Wives")

Includes scenes from the TV show.
Features the The Military Wives Choir, who the TV show focuses on.

Let It Go by Demi Lovato (Theme Song of "Frozen")

Includes scenes from the movie.

Chou (Butterfly) by Tsuki Amano (Theme Song of "Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly")

Includes the same butterfly special effect/image from the game's trailer.
English lyrics here.

Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin (Theme Song of "Civilization IV")

The first ever video game song to receive a Grammy Award.
Includes scenes from the game's intro.

What makes a Good Music Video?

• Word of mouth?
• Number of hits on Youtube?
• Newspaper articles/TV reports?
• How many times shown on television?
• Amount of publicity?
• Establish brand identity?
• Downloads (legal/illegal)?
• Charts?
• CDs?

Types of Music

Types of Music

Artists can be divided into two categories:-

• Organic:- These are the types of artists that put their music first and the business of music second. They create the kind of music they want to make and get a record label to sell them off to the public. Organic music are generally aimed at a niche audience but have been known to eventually appeal to a wider audience. 

• An example of this is The Beatles. Each band member had their own interest in music. They formed a band and wrote songs together, performed in Hamburg, Germany, got a record contract and performed on the Ed Sullivan Show in America, where they became an instant hit, both there and in the UK, as they had a warm welcome back from America by their fans at Heathrow Airport.

• Radiohead is another example. They are an English Rock band that formed in 1985 and came from Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Their debut hit was "Creep" in 1992. 

• Synthetic:- These are the kinds of artists that put the business of music first and the music itself second. For them, it's all about the money! They are forcefully put together by record labels to create successful music to fill up a gap in the music market.

• One example of this is The Monkees. They were created as a kind of clone/an American version of The Beatles, who were very successful at that time, from 1966 to 1970. The group mainly consisted of strangers who, according to rumors, didn't always sing their own songs or play their instruments, their songs were sung and their instruments were played by an accompanying band. They were mainly aimed at younger audiences and even had a comedy TV show.

• Another example of this is One Direction. They had each auditioned on The X Factor as solo acts. They each failed their auditions but were put together as a 5-member boy band in order to progress to the "boot camp" stage of the competition. They finished third in the finals but gained in popularity despite this. They were then signed onto Syco Records by Simon Cowell and their music career has been going on ever since. (They also had a guest appearance in popular kids' sitcom, iCarly.)

Major Record Labels

Major Record Labels

The music industry is dominated by four multi-national corporations:-

• Universal Records:- Founded in 1995 and owned by Universal Music Group. They have signed artists like Bee Gees (formerly), Calvin Harris, Miley Cyrus, Godsmack, Pat Green, Selena Gomez, Elton John, JoJo, Owl City, etc.

• Sony Music:- Founded in 1929 and owned by Sony Corporation of America. They have signed artists like 2NE1, Alexandra Burke, Avril Lavigne, Backstreet Boys, Big Time Rush, Beyoncé Knowles, Bruce Springsteen, Britney Spears, Celine Dion, Carrie Underwood, Calvin Harris, Daft Punk, Destiny's Child, Earth, Wind and Fire, Evanescence, Stereopony, Susan Boyle, etc.

• Warner Brothers:- Founded in 1958 and owned by Warner Music Group. They had previously signed artists like A-ha, Bee Gees, Shaun Cassidy, Alice Cooper, Bill Cosby, Elvis Costello, etc. They have now signed artists like Avenged Sevenfold, Cher, Disturbed, Clint Eastwood, Evermore, Fort Minor, Gorillaz, Green Day, Idina Menzel, Iyaz, Hugh Laurie, Linkin Park, etc.

• EMI Records:- Founded in 1972 and owned by EMI Group Limited/EMI Music. They have signed artists like The Beatles, The Hollies, Gullivers People, Pink Floyd, The Shadows, Joe Cocker, Black Sabbath, Captain, Cockney Rejects, Amy Grant, Iron Maiden, Alan Jackson, Killa Mike, Kyla, Ruth Lorenzo, Junior Martinez, Richard Marz, etc.

These are referred to as "The Majors". The majority of these are backed by conlomerates with stakes in other industries such as Film, TV and Electronics.

Major-Independents

Most of these "Majors" own, or license, a series of smaller subsidiary companies in order to reach different kinds of audiences in different kinds of genres.

• Columbia Records:- Founded in 1888 and owned by Sony Music Entertainment. They have signed artists like 50 Cent, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Appaloosa, Louis Armstrong, The Bangles, Beyoncé, Big Time Rush, David Bowie, Susan Boyle, Kate Bush, Johnny Cash, John Cena, Petula Clark, Miranda Cosgrove, Celine Dion, the Glee cast, Billy Joel, etc.

• Island Records:- Founded in 1959 and owned by Universal Records. They had previously signed like Wallis Bird, Keisha Buchanan, Mariah Carey, John Cale, Jim Capaldi, Bob Dylan, Marianne Faithfull, Isis, Elton John, Bob Marley, N-Dubz, Nirvana UK, Katy Perry, Ringo Starr, Sum 41, Utada Hikaru, etc. They have now signed artists like Iggy Azalea, Justin Bieber, Bon Jovi, Clare Bowditch, Jake Bugg, Taio Cruz, Jamie Cullum, Dizzee Rascal, Fall Out Boy, Florence and the Machine, Ariana Grande, Enrique Iglesias, Jessie J, Nick Jonas, Parachute, Passenger, Snow Patrol, U2, The Vamps, Robbie Willaims, Woodkid, Will Young, etc.

• Syco Records:- Founded in 2002 and owned by Sony and Simon Cowell. They had previously signed artists like Gareth Gates, George Sampson, Leon Jackson, Same Difference, Rhydian, Paul Potts, Escala, Shayne Ward, Joe McElderry, Westlife, Alexandra Burke, Loveable Rogues, Leona Lewis, Jonathan and Charlotte, etc. They have now signed artists like Susan Boyle, Labrinth, Little Mix, Olly Murs, One Direction, Union J, Bars and Melody, Collabro, Cher Loyd, etc.

• RCA Records:- Founded in 1901 and owned by Sony. They have signed artists like ABBA (formerly), The Beatles (formerly), Cristina Aguilera, Keith Anderson, Apocalyptica, Rick Astley (formerly), Misha B, Backstreet Boys (formerly), Alexandra Burke, Boston Symphony Orchestra, David Bowie (formerly), Bullet for My Valentine, Kelly Clarkson, Miley Cyrus, Daughtry, Snoop Dogg, Hilary Duff, Mick Fleetwood, Foo Fighters, Jamie Foxx, Becky G, Miku Hatsune (formerly), Imogen Heap, Whitney Houston (formerly), Jennifer Hudson, Natalie Imbruglia, Ke$ha, Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne, "Weird Al" Yankovic, etc.

• Virgin Records:- Founded in 1972 and owned by Universal (formerly by EMI). They have signed artists like 30 Seconds to Mars, The Almost, Atomic Kitten, Tony Banks, Bastille, Victoria Beckham, Blue, David Bowie, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, The Constellations, Daft Punk, Deadmau5, Hilary Duff, Eurythmics, Evanescence, Emeli Sandé, Peter Gabriel, Gorillaz, David Guetta, Korn, Emily Osment, Placebo, Queen, Röyksopp, Ruth Lorenzo, The Sex Pistols, Yanni, You Me at Six, etc.

These companies are called "Major-Independents".

Independents

There are a huge number of small companies with little or no financial connection to the majors. These companies often concentrate on a small number of acts, within specialised niches in the industry.

These are called "Independents". One example of a highly successful Independent is Domino Records. They were founded in 1993. They had previously signed artists like 10,000 Things, The Fall, Hood, Josef K, The Pyramids, Steve Reid Ensemble, Superchunk,  The Television Personalities, The Triffids, etc. They have now signed artists like Arctic Monkeys, Galaxie 500, Hot Chip, Eugene McGuinness, Quasi, Sons and Daughters, Spiral Stairs, Tricky, Twin Sister, Villagers, etc.

It is often that record labels begin as independent, but then are bought by a major and then become major-independents.

Potential Tracks

Potential Tracks

Gabrielle Aplin - "Home"







Josh Ritter - "Girl In The War"

The Foo Fighters - "The Pretender" Storyboard Animatic

The Foo Fighters - "The Pretender" Storyboard Animatic

My task was to create an animatic of the storyboard of the music video of The Pretender by The Foo Fighters.

First, I converted the music video from Youtube using Clip Converter and I put it into Final Cut Express.

Then, I uploaded the storyboard pictures of the first 45 seconds of the music video I drew beforehand onto the computer and put them onto Final Cut Express.

I then started to piece together the storyboard pictures in time with the first 45 seconds of the music video.

When I finished piece the animatic together, I exported it and uploaded it onto Vimeo (upload takes 45 minutes) instead of Youtube as Vimeo doesn't have any copyright restrictions.

From this animatic, I learned about the shot variety of the music video. There were Long Shots to show the whole band or other areas in the studio and there were Mid-Shots and Close-Ups to show the band  members individually.

I also learned about the shot duration of the music video. During the beginning of the video, the shots last a long time before cutting to the next shot, but as the other band members start to play their instruments, the pacing of the video becomes much faster and the shots last for less time than before.
The Foo Fighters - The Pretender Storyboard Animatic from Marianne Webb on Vimeo.