Are Music Videos Still Relevant?

[DWEarhart]

Now that we have podcasting and download capabilities, plus the endless promotion machine that is the internet, are music videos really that important anymore?

Now, alll a band has to do is record a few segments of their live show, or throw some samples uup on their page and that's all you need to know. Should the rappers go ahead and keep degrading a practically dead media, or is there still a calling for bands to make some mini-movie-musicals.

On youtube, I was looking for bands I like, found them, then coudln't watch more than a minute and a half of them because I'd heard the song so many times, seen them live, or the product itself just wasn't that interesting, and then looking at new bands and musicians, ones I'd never heard before, I still wasn't interested, and if anything, the video may have taken something away from the song.

A band may like to make a music video, but I don't feel that it is an important addition to their resume anymore. Not like it used to be when MTV wasn't the running joke it is now.

[Chiasm]

If there was actually a place that consistently played new videos at a time other than very late at night they might be relevant. The only videos it seems like you see anymore during the daylight hours on MTV or VH1 are the ones to songs that are already hits or have been prepicked to be the next big hit by an established artist.

Now with the internet and videos available on demand from numerous sources, I don't much see a reason for them on TV. And actually, I don't even watch them on the internet. If there is a song I want to hear I just load it up on youtube or somewhere similar and open a new window. And half the time the video I've loaded, especially on youtube, is something created by someone other than the band.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Music videos aren't at all relevant to my experience of music. Half the music I listen to was made before promotional videos existed, and the other half wouldn't get played on MTV or VH1 anyway.

Besides which, I don't watch TV or have cable. And watching videos on the internet is something I've never been able to train myself to do, even with broadband. Strangely enough, I'd rather read.

[howyadoin]

"Still" relevant?

[Alex]

I don't really see videos anymore.
MTV still does that TRL show i assume, but i'm never going to find anything new on there, and chances are, i won't see anything good. And that's ignoring that they don't even play entire videos, just bits with them that have young girls screaming over them. The rest of the time it's reality shows.
VH1 is basicly the same, but with more entertaining shows.
MTV doesn't even show that many videos anymore...so, i'd say no.

[Hiromi]

"Still" relevant?

My thoughts exactly. One of Led Zeppelin's big draws when they were still active was that they didn't do music videos(though in truth they did do two, one for Communication Breakdown and Kashmir).

[Shady Jack]

I've never been into music videos.

I've seen some that were pretty cool/interesting/whatever...but I've never really understood the concept. When I listen to music, I do just that. I listen. Why do I need a badly made mini-movie that I'm not gonna understand?

Not knockin' everyone who likes videos...I just never saw the appeal. Videos bore the heck out of me.

[PanzerMega]

"Still" relevant?

During the 80s and early 90s, videos could make or break an album. Not saying it's a good or a bad thing, but they were a pretty important part of the music industry.

Now that music television shows don't even show videos, and you have to go out of your way to see a clip on the internet, I don't think they're nearly as important to a successful album anymore.

[Valmore]

Yeah, for a span of so many years in the 80's and 90's it was crucial for a band to put out a couple videos, because at the time, MTV and VH-1 both actually played music videos, and even had shows dedicated to showing them - "Yo! MTV Raps" and "Headbangers Ball" being two of them. Along with that bald-headed fat white guy who showed videos nobody watched. And there was a time when the "Buzz Bin" could actually get you noticed. Now? Do they even play music videos on either of those shows anymore?

But these days, oddly enough, it doesn't seem to matter, except for streaming video on the internet, and I just don't see it making or breaking you there.

[Jonathan Bogart]

Now that music television shows don't even show videos, and you have to go out of your way to see a clip on the internet, I don't think they're nearly as important to a successful album anymore.
Well, not quite. Billboard's charts and MTV's countdowns still have a lot of overlap. You don't go multiplatinum in the pop arena without having a music video.

But success can be defined a lot of ways now, and that's only one of them.

[PanzerMega]

Well, not quite. Billboard's charts and MTV's countdowns still have a lot of overlap. You don't go multiplatinum in the pop arena without having a music video.

But success can be defined a lot of ways now, and that's only one of them.

Oh, I agree. Top-charting bands need music videos as yet another form of airplay. But it seemed to me that a cool or unique music video could make an album back in the day.

I could be wrong, but it seems to take more than just a good video to have a Top 10 album nowadays. (be it either a genuinely strong album, great publicity, or just insane amounts of label-paid airplay)

[Eric D.]

only when trying to find a song to listen to for more than a 30 second sampling, - i go look for the video on YouTube

[Shellhead]

only when trying to find a song to listen to for more than a 30 second sampling, - i go look for the video on YouTube

Because of YouTube, I'm watching more videos than I have since the early '90s.

[dupersuper]

"Still" relevant?

This was my reaction.

[vcassel]

As a piece of filmmaking and interpretive art? Yes, they're still very relevant and will continue to be so. As top marketing tools in the music industry? No, not really anymore. Labels won't drop the money needed to make videos anymore unless it's for already big name talent like Beyonce and the like. But with the emergence of great looking and inexpensive DSLR video technology found in the Canon 5D and 7D, indepenent music artists can still get in on the fun and be creative.

[hugh45]

You can yourself (get it get it) :wink: Is having music countdown to no. 1 is still relevant?