Music Videos: A Waste?

[Steamboat Ricky]

MTV doesn't show music videos anymore...it's all about trendy reality shows, etc. I don't think VH1 shows any anymore, and all of the other MTV networks aren't on common cable stations. Thus, I ask...is it a waste for artists to create music videos?

5 years ago, I would have said no. But nowadays, I just don't see the point. Those have to cost quite a bit of money to produce, and since they wouldn't be promoted by such mediums as MTV, I'm not so sure that creating them would actually help artists sell more records. Now, I understand that we now live in the YouTube age, but for a song to be searched on YouTube, it would probably need to be somewhat well-known in the first place. Even then, the song can still be set to the album cover in the background.

Thoughts?

 

[Emmet]

Unless its a Michael Jackson video, scrap music videos, Mj has always made the best videos and no one has come close to matching even the worst of MJ's videos.

There is really no need for them in this day and age to be honest.

 

[HEEL Blazy]

Well with country music I'll say yeah because they have three networks there shown on.

CMT(which is under the MTV network stuff),CMT Pure Country(yet again MTV Network) and GAC(not MTV Network but still good)

the others really don't matter to me as I don't even care for to much more music. But I'll say yeah overall because I mean there is youtube and myspace. The artist can make them and put the videos on there also.

 

[jerichofan720]

I could go either way, yes and no, on this subject. I do think they are a waste of airtime or money if its just people dancing around to the music while the musicians play, this is mostly predominant in hip-hop/rap videos, but its not limited to them. On the other hand, I find myself liking music videos if they have a purpose, like providing visuals to lyrics or telling a story.

My verdict would be i could honestly live without them as most of the time i think that songs dont benefit from being partnered with the videos.

 

[justinsayne]

VH1 does still show video, usually in the wee hours of the morning, like between 2-7 am, plus there's Fuse as well, I'm pretty sure they show videos as well, and many bands these days also release DVD sets, these sets usually have the videos on them as well, plus many times the videos are also up on the the bands official web sites, so just because MTV doesn't air videos anymore does not mean that videos are no longer important, I still think their are plenty of people out there watching videos and shit, plus I'm sure there are also other people like me who YouTube a band I may never heard before and watching the video to see if they like them or not

 

[Tastycles]

I don't know about America, but in Britain the standard Sky or Virgin package has somewhere in the vicinity of 20 music channels. Only MTV never show music videos, VH1 does most of the time, and then on top of that there are the request stations and all of the specialist MTV ones, not to mention On Demand.

The way music television works has changed, and it has become far more concentrated. Music videos are important because when flicking through the stations, as many people do, the videos catch their attention. With the specialist music channels, it means that the video is catered for a specific audience who are more likely to buy it. Music videos may not have the exposure they used to, but they certainly have the same impact on advertisment because the people who were likely to buy it will still see it anyway.

 

[Richard]

No, music videos are not a waste. They are a marketing tool used by a band to promote their new single/album. They are a good thing for a band to have and while they cost a bit to make, the band will be easily able to cover the costs of the video through royalties that they will be payed when their music video is played. Also, they are a good thing for young bands who want exposure as well. If I was in a band, I'd want to make a music video and post it on YouTube, MySpace, everywhere possible to promote my band. They are a good thing. They also give the artist/band a chance to show the audience the musicians behind the song.

 

[Mrs Sexy]

MTV and VH1 still show music videos. They just come on EXTREMELY early in the mornings. I would say like 2-3 AM. I watch them almost all the time on those channels.

As for music videos being a waste, I would have to say no. I say that because there are channels out there that do show music videos a lot. You just have to catch them on at the right times.

They might be a waste for MTV and VH1 because the reality shows are taking up tons of video time. Videos are only shown for a small amount of time on those channels nowadays.

There is a new music channel out called Palladia. I don't really know if videos are shown on it throughout the day because I'm only interested in videos late at night/early early morning. Plus I don't know if Palladia is just on satellite dishes or if it's shown on cable too.

 

[klunderbunker]

Like someone else said with the advent of the internet for showing video for free, no they're not a waste. You might be so-so on a song or a band but if the video is cool it could sway you to looking into them more. Some of the visuals are very cool in them, but for the most part it's just random dancers and the band. That's all good though, as sometimes less is more. But no, they're not a waste, but MTV is now.