History of a music video: Miss Georgiou

Overtime, the way that people have accessed music videos have changed due to the change in technology. Roughly twenty years ago, consumers relied on purchasing their own records themselves such as CD's and tapes because there was no technology for them to access it on digital technology therefore resulting less people buying the records because it would cause aggravation. In 1979, the first CD recording began. The first commercial compact disc was produced 17th August 1982. The first popular CD was produced at the new factory was 'The Visitors' in 1981 by ABBA. The advancements in technology meant that the music copies that were harder to access were no longer necessity; the introduction of the digital mp3 pushed out the requirement to own the CD's individually. Similar to mix tapes, consumers would have to borrow a friends CD then copy the music to their computer and have an electronic version on their which meant they could only listen to the music when they was with their computer instead of the music being portable. The internet became introduced in 1969-present which made it slightly easier for consumers to access their music better. Overtime, the internet has gradually improved as it shook things up further, as connection speeds increased and file sharing became more common. At this time, consumers generally illegally started using programmes such as Napster and Limewire to pirate music, waiting for many hours to download a single track which caused a lot of inconvenience to many users. The use of social networking also brought a whole new element to the music industry, with twitter providing a platform for users to follow musicians and discover new bands. YouTube has meant that consumers no longer have to rely on MTV or purchase a bands video or DVD to watch their music videos. Streaming services like Spotify give consumers access to listen to any music from any location with an internet connection. Technology and the internet have changed the way we source and listen to music but also changed the way the actual music has been produced. Roughly twenty years ago, artist would rely on the corporate producers to listen to their demo disc and convince them to give a record deal however due to the success of the internet, any potential artist can upload a video of one of their own songs or cover on to useful video sites such as YouTube and with the rising popularity hoping a record producer may hear the song. They are able to produce their own track, upload it to the internet and promote it accordingly. This not only helps the listeners discover them but also producers, helping them to get signed and make a success. With internet connectivity continuing to  improve and the penetration of smartphones only set to increase, technology and the internet are predicted to maintain a firm hold on how music is consumed, shared and produced. These advancements are welcome by most as it gives both the listener and artist both more choice and power.


YouTube is a popular site for uploading and watching different types of videos and was founded in 2005 on February 14th. To this day, YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google which is first. During the summer of 2006, YouTube was the fastest growing site on the web uploading more than 65,000 new videos and delivering 100 million video views per day in July. YouTube has more than 1 billion users and everyday, people watch hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube and generate billions of views including views for music videos. The number of hours people are watching on YouTube each year 50% year on year in which mostly are spent watching new releases. 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute meaning that the material on the site is always fresh and up to date meaning that listeners of music can instantly access new releases of their favourite artist music videos. YouTube is localised in 75 countries and available in 61 different languages meaning that anyone in the world can access these videos and can globally experience the same as someone from the country of origin. Half the views that YouTube receives on a daily basis are from a mobile phone as it the most convenient way to access to watch a music video as people can view the music on the go and watch it whenever it suits them. Additionally, YouTube contains the ability for videos to be shared instantly straight to social media which promotes the music videos even further resulting in a gain in popularity and word of mouth as more people will hear about the video as social media sites contain more fans.


This is a list of the top 20 most viewed music videos on YouTube:

From this official chart we can easily state that the most watched music video was 'Gangnam Style by PSY' in which it received an astonishing 2,352, 631,105 views. The song was released in July 2012 and was produced by Park Jae Sung. I find that this music video is a performance style music video as it involves more entertainment and dance performance styles. The video was accessible on YouTube therefore gave free access to everyone globally. I believe that this was the most viewed music video on YouTube as it brings its own uniqueness towards music entertainment as it uses its own choreographed dance which became a hit across the world. Furthermore, the fact that the music is coming from another country makes it more amusing for the audience as they are more intrigued to know the concept of the video as they are required to put more focus and attention in the video. The music being used within the video was catchy as the rhythm is simple and repetitive therefore resulted in more audience becoming more interested. There was also synergy between the music and visuals as the visuals were cut to fit the rhythm really well, making the most of the interaction between the two. The video was also silly comedy and wasn't serious unlike other music videos therefore brought more amusement to the audience. Several of the scenes are ambiguous and make the audience wonder what is going on therefore leads to the audience becoming more eager to focus more on the music video if not repeat the music video. PSY is making fun of himself while making fun of every pop cliche the audience would of seen therefore results in more entertainment being created for the audience. The South Korean style made it more appealing for audiences as if it came from the UK or US it would be less entertaining as it is more typical therefore lend it a certain charm for people elsewhere in the world. The dance performance being included is easy to learn and extends the engagement from the digital to the physical world. The fact that Gangnam is a district in Seoul, originally somewhat seedy but now the haunt of the nouveau riche lends extra depth to the videos success. Due to the video being seen by so many people, peer pressure can also cause more people to watch the video as it could look less 'cool' if one person hasn't seen the video therefore they would be more eager to see the film as soon as possible.




MTV debuted on the 1st August 1981 and was instantly a popular emanation of the entertainment industry. From the start, it represented the new lifestyles of youth of the time and today it continues to be a trend setter, by influencing young people's understanding of the meaning of 'cool'. MTV's success has been achieved because of its ability to adapt to and reflect the desires of each new generation. MTV was once known as Music Television for good reason. Before the debut of MTV, music videos were practically unheard of. The new channel featured a way of presenting music. It introduced the innovative idea of presenting, in effect, a short film too accompany each song. In fact, for the first six years, MTV played music videos only. However, 1987, MTV revealed its first mainstream television shows, such as "Club MTV", repeats of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and a game show called "Remote Control". The impressive ratings received by such shows prompted MTV to try other non-music shows, such as "House of Style" in 1989, "The Real World" in 1992 and "Singled Out" and "Road Rules" in 1995. Today, MTV shows music videos only a few hours a day, the few hours when most people are asleep. During the 1980's, MTV viewers were more enthusiastic about music than they are today, and that was enough to keep MTV a thriving success for several years. As the years passed, however, the taste and interest of the youth changed aswell. Today's generation is now more interested in shows about celebrities and non music television shows. Over the past few decades, the genres of popular music have also changed dramatically, and MTV has needed to adapt to the unpredictable interest of each generation's youth. During MTV's first seven years, the genres of rock and pop compromised the majority of the music played on the channel. In 1988, however, the show " Yo! MTV Raps" debuted, and the debut was considered by some to be the official start of the hip-hip craze. After the debut, MTV gradually began playing more and more hip-hop. The rock and pop generation of the 1980's had changed into a new era of hip-hop. Although MTV has been the most popular reflection of pop culture, it has also been a venue for positive social change. In the 1980's, for example, openly displayed homosexuality was rarely considered acceptable. Controversial topics such as diversity, AIDS, sexual orientation, famine, and poverty were rarely matters of discussion among the youth of the time. In 1998, however a homosexual student was beaten to death at his college and MTV took a strong anti violence position of this topic. Over the past 20 years, MTV has developed into a leading voice for young generations and modifies itself to remain as relevant to today's youth as it was the youth of the past.

In terms of budgets for music videos, they all vary depending on what style and genre the music video is. For instance, a performance style video would require more technology cost due to special effects. Furthermore, budgets is important for hiring out different locations for the music video to be set and also the costumes to be used within the video. Over time, the music video budgets have become more demanding as the technology is developing and the price requirement is becoming higher. Also, the music video industry is becoming more competitive therefore artists and producers need to add more within their video's such as different special effect in order to keep the audience's attention and not fall down. They have to be more creative and innovative with what they do for the small budgets they work with. Over the last 30 years, music videos have helped cement the emotional connection between visuals and music, and have been used as a tool for communicating the message of the artist who is performing. Music videos have become a genre of video production in their own right, peaking with budgets to rival small independent movie productions in the 1990's. The 1990's was truly the decade of high budget, high impact music video for many artist looking to ramp up their marketing efforts. Downloading and purchase of single-only tracks was not even on the horizon, and the record company budgets were incredible. Iconic videos for Madonna, Michael Jackson and other big names in the industry heralded in an era where music video broke records for their production cost.

The most expensive video to ever be produced was "Michael Jackson-Scream" in which it was released in 1995 and involved $7 million to be produced. Michael Jacksons's videos have always been ridiculously expensive. In 1983, $800,000 on "Thriller" which would be about $1.4 million today. Before "Thriller" no one even came close to spending that kind of money, and he had to do it with limited technological capabilities. As technology improved, his videos became more expensive , spending over $1.2 million on "Black or White" in 1992, and even more on "Remember The Time". "Screams" $7,000,000 price tag is more than twice as the next most expensive video at $2.7 million and it's easy to say why; he spent $5 million alone on 11 sets. Yet while watching the video, it all seems incredibly wasteful, not coming close to the film quality of "Thriller", "November Rain" or "Victory". Computer generated spaceship was $65,000, breaking guitars $53,000, Morphing artworks $50,000, Michael's make-up $3,000, Janet's make-up $8,000 a day, Choreography $40,000, giant video screen $80,000, lighting, $175,000, Cost per day, $636,00 (about 11 days) which means the total cost of 11 sets $5,000,000. Although the music video was extremely costly, this didn't impact the video in the sense making it the most viewed. This shows that the audience are more about the music and format that is being produced rather than how much money is going in to the video. Based as the name of the song links with bad press that Michael Jackson was getting in media at the time. They are dressed in black and swearing at the camera to project their towards the media.

Technology,special effects and the development have changed over time as producers and artist have more money in which they could spend it on. This gives them the opportunity to spend it on lavish technologies which could increase the the way the music video appeals to an audience. Technologies such as hd cameras can be used within music videos to make the video more appealing as it provides a better view and format for the audience. Also, due to the better view for the audience, they instantly become more engaged with what's happening as it would feel more real for them. Furthermore, it also provides a better focus for them as they can see the composition in s better view. Colour for video cameras wasn't released until 1935 so before this, all video formats had no clue and where viewed in black and white. The evolution of the camera mean that audience can now view their video in colour and also at a high definition quality meaning that they can become more engaged and build better
relationship.

Another technology that has evolved is the green screen. A green screen or some people call it a blue screen is a background in front of which moving subjects are filmed and which allows a separately filmed background to be added to the final image. The green screen first became introduced in the 1970's. It allows the production to be created faster and more money is saved rather than travelling round the world searching for ideal locations coming to a costly amount which additionally also waste time. Also once an image is captured with consistent lighting and sound, you can easily cut and edit footage to create the sequence needed. Furthermore, it also benefits the production team as it is a more controlled environment as there are no distractions or potential inconsistencies . The first music video to include a green screen was Michael Jacksons "Don't stop till you get enough" which was released in 1979.  Within, their video there are consistent moving backgrounds and they are all  different so that there is a variety. This bring more excitement to the audience as this is a setting that they have never seen before as it is only just being introduced to them. Furthermore, they are all moving background therefore encourage the audience to become more engaged as it appeals more to them as the moving background capture the attention more and keep them more focus as it is more entertaining for them.

The target audience and number of views a music video/channel receives has changed over the years through the development of smart phones. Now days the evolution and development of smart phones means that apps that can provide music videos such as YouTube are now accessible on mobile phones meaning that audiences can listen or watch their favourite music videos on the go with just needing a network connection in which people tend to have all the time. Furthermore, smart phones have also developed apps within the social media such as Facebook and Twitter which means that audiences can keep up to date with their favourite artist where ever they are. For example, if an artist has just released a music video, then the social media can provide links or even the music video which means that audience's can watch it almost instantly. Apps such as YouTube also provide a link that allows users to instantly share a music video they like on to the social media they desire so that people that are friends and follow them can also watch the music video and spread the word creating a word of mouth. Furthermore, if a music video or channel has a lot of views and followers, this may influence other audience to join in and watch the videos as they want to see what the 'hype' is about even if they are not a fan as it may look that person look less 'cool' if they haven't seen it. If there are a lot of followers this shows that there is popular interest within what is being produced so audience automatically join in so that they are with the popularity.

Music genres have also developed a lot over the years as the technology is becoming more and more developed through the generations meaning that different genres can develop their genre conventions and portray them in a more efficient way. For instance, a dance genre can be seen different to what it was 10 years ago in comparison to today's dance genre as now days technology gives us the ability to include more lighting technology and also special effects that could help the video to appeal to the audience better as they would feel more engaged as the video is more developed. Furthermore, the technology within the sound equipment means that artist can produce more sound efficient and better quality vocals which would make the audience appeal to them better as they would sound more attractive therefore resulting in a higher popularity and successful music video. The technology of green screen has meant that music genres can develop because they can create more real background, for instance instead of filming in space, the producers can use a realistic space background as the green screen to cause less aggravation as the music genres can develop more.

My research will assist me within my own music video as I have learned all the different ways technology and development of conventions can help appeal to the audience more. Furthermore, I now know different ways that audience can access music videos to make it more popular therefore I can use the research to help my music video appeal to an audience more. Furthermore, I also researched other music videos from different generations which I learned the different ways that they used to appeal to an audience and how they have developed over time.

What is a music video? -Miss Miller

A music video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings by artists. Due to the demands of record labels, videos will often include a lot of close ups of the artist or band which will often include a personal style of the artist so that when they occur with another video, the audience will know it's them even if they don't appear in the video. In music videos, mise en scene will plays a large part as a symbolic way of creating meaning because it' a meaning created beyond what is obvious to the audience. Most music videos will use props as the producer will also think deep into the location and set of the music video and whether or not it relates to the song or not. There are many purposes of a music video such as giving the ability to create a relationship between the artist and audience. Furthermore, it also allows the audience to identify a song easier as it can give the audience something to remember. The music video can also give the ability for the artist to express their feelings in which the audience can then understand the song and lyrics in which the audience could then get to know the artist personality. It also attracts a wider range of audience as it can become available to a large range. The audience can also buy into the artist lifestyle as it helps to understand their personality more as an artist. Furthermore, it can also be helped to portray the different genre conventions used in music videos. It can also be use to create a unique identity for the artist/band as they would include their own personal touch within the video to make it more memorable for the audience.

There are three different styles of music videos such as;

Performance: A performance style video is when the artist displays the music video through the form of singing or dancing and displays the video as if the audience can be watching the video live at a concert. The artist tend to display less of a theme and narrative and just deliver their song as if they are performing the song to an actual audience. A performance videos focuses on showing footage of the artist or band either in a casual environment i.e socialising with friends, or performing live performance or staged performance. These videos tend to portray the artist as realistic as possible as it is the only artist they are showing. It is commonly that clips of performances are used to develop the music video. Performance style generally show more footage of the artist than the other styles of music videos.

Narrative:  A narrative style video is when the artist deliver the video through the form of a story being told to the audience so that the audience to engage more within the lyrics and understand the artist feeling/thoughts and build a better relationship between the artist and audience. Often the video tells a story either that features in the lyrics or is suggested in the lyrics. The narrative can also be similar to a mini film, with a beginning, middle and end. Narrative styled videos can also promote a film with clips from the film including telling a story. This style relies on imagery to produce a story for the audience to follow and some narrative videos include clips from films that the song has been featured in as it will encourage the audience to become more engaged and build a better relationship between the audience and artist.

Concept: A concept music video is selling the audience an idea/theme or ideology. Furthermore, it also delivers a moral or message towards the audience to try and help and motivate the audience more. Concept videos are based around a single idea or concept and are usually unusual and obscure, even surreal for the audience. The unusual content is an attraction to many consumers, which draws them in. Concept videos usually are combined with one of the other two styles as the market demands for greater accessibly rather than the somewhat niche that is pure concept art. There are various themes that can be used depending on what type of genre the music video is. Furthermore, there can be a use of a lot of different symbols to build up a meaning or message. There is often a fast editing and montages used as each shot are commonly on a few seconds to help create a meaning.

Within my research, I will be analysing a popular pop song "Girls Aloud - Biology" which was released in 2005 and falls in the genre of girl band music videos.

I believe there are many purposes for this music video such as aiming to attract a wider audience by creating more publicity by promoting their song further. Furthermore, I also believe another purpose is to express their feelings and also try to give the audience a better taste of their personality to build a better relationship and connection with the audience. I also find that the video was created to help display the different genre conventions as it would bring more excitement and interest to the audience. Also, by creating a music video, this allows the video to be available to anyone in the world to view the video which then allows the audience to watch it globally and have more access. Furthermore, by creating a music video, it make it easier for the audience to identify the song and will create a word of mouth which would then increase the popularity of the video. I also find that they created the video to express their unity as a girl band while including a lot of creativity. The music video wasn't made for men to become huge fans of the band but more to gain attention as attention just means more popularity for the band. The song is about the female wanting to be the lead in the relationship and wanting the male to pay more attention to her; what she says, what she does, and how she acts. She wants the boy to notice them in more than a sexual way. There is no clear link between the visuals and the lyrics which is made clear from the lack of males in the video and the strong female lead in the video. This then creates a purpose of the artist wanting to create a message that women are more than icons for sex and that there is more to them also portraying that they deserve more respect. 

I believe that the style of this particular music video is performance. I find that this could be evidently seen through the use of mes en scene, specifically within the costume sector. Throughout the whole music the video, the members are all wearing matching and colour coordinated costumes with only a minimum difference between each member. With each scene comes a different costume change and verse and even when the costumes change, the members are all still looking identical. I find that this portrays the band as being a strong unit and having similar personalities which makes them closer and creates a better relationship between the girls in the group. Furthermore, the use of the colour pink being used represents the girls as being fun and bubbly which contributes to enable the audience to understand their personalities more which means the audience can build a better relationship with the audience. Also, the girls are dressed in these lavish dresses that purposely show of and enhances their figures which could be seen as them trying to gain males attention and they are putting themselves out there to be admired for their physical appearance. 

As I continued to analyse the music video, I also identified another convention which has been followed through the genre of girl bands, dance routine. I identified this by the use of cinematography, particularly a mid shot. The mid shot displays all the group members carrying out a dance routine within a formation. I believe that this convention had been followed to include creativity and the artist's own personal touch as they have choreographed the dance by themselves so it gives the audience something to remember as it is more memorable for them to link the dance to the artist. I find that the use of a dance routine relates to the concept of performance the most as they are performing in time with the music in the background fitting each lyric with a dance move. I find that this helps to engage the audience more and build a better relationship as it creates a more entertaining and diverting atmosphere for the audience to be in therefore increasing the popularity. I also strongly believe that it fulfils the artist own identity more as the unique dance allows the audience to possibly remember the song just based on having the dance included as a memory for them. 

I then continued to analyse the music video even further and identified another convention which is being followed through the genre of girl bands. The convention that I identified within the music video was the use of facial expressions. I find that the use of facial expressions help to engage the audience more as benefits to display part of the artist/group members personality more as it reveals how they are feeling and portrays their thoughts through the use of their facial expressions. Within this particular scenario, one of the group members is displaying a big smile on her face with her teeth exposed to the camera. The smile indicates that she is pleased, pleasured and untroubled. This then helps to engage the audience more as commonly, seeing another person smile tends to make that individual feel happy. Also, it shows that she is very confident with her self which helps the audience to think alongside this female and build up their own confidence. The facial expression that she is representing shows that the atmosphere within the music video is positive and full of happiness and that it is something that she wants to share with the audience. Majority of girl bands commonly create music videos full of fun and excitement which allows the audience to build a more positive and understanding relationship with the artist and facial expression seen within the picture displays the convention being followed as it brings fun and joy to the audience.

I find that this music video is most likely to be targeted at older girls/women. I come to this conclusion as the song/music video is women wanting to be treated as women and not sex objects and wanting men to have more respect for them. The women want to show that they are just as dominant and if not even more dominant and that they want men to pay more attention to do them and see them as people from what they do in their everyday life. I find that song/music video appeals to the target audience as a lot of older girls/women tend to feel disrespected by men and feel that they can only get men's attention by acting sexually as that is what attracts the men to the women. Especially in a lot of marriages, women tend to feel that they are the weaker sex and are only associated with only when it comes to sexual activities. I find that this video is a freedom of speech for all women that feel like this and put the thoughts in the form of a song portraying that men don't do anything and don't give them enough attention. Furthermore, the lyrics 'say you love me and not my dirty brain' is women speaking up saying that they want men to love them for who they and not just for sex. This music video would help to give women more confidence to stand up to men and get the right respect and attention that they think they deserve. Furthermore, it's also showing that women are upset by these actions so for example the use of happy, confident facial expressions being worn on the members will help to give more confidence to women so that they don't have to hide away and be unhappy during their relationships.

To conclude I have learned that you need to be choose wisely of who your target audience is as it will determine the success. The song that you choose to present has to fit in with your target audience otherwise it will become a struggle for the audience to engage and build relationships with the artist which means the music video will lose popularity therefore classing it as unsuccessful. It is also very important that the codes and conventions for a particular genre must follow through otherwise it causes confusion to the audience and they will not be able to understand. There also has to be a consistency as any faults in between sections may lose interest within the audience which means the engagement that was being built up will fail. I also learned that conventions such as setting/locations are very important as where the music video is taking place as the location needs to be ideal for the lyrics and genre being included within the music video. I think music videos are very effective and have a great impact on various audiences. For instance, I find that a narrative style music video contributes to help tell a story and make the story come alive which means the audience are enabled to build better relationships and have more engagement as they will feel more feelings and emotions. I find that a concept style video is important as it has a good chance of gaining huge popularity as the style of video contributes to selling the audience an idea/theme which means the audience will become more engaged and included. If the conventions being used within the video doesn't associate with the concept behind the video then it will be poor and unsuccessful. I find that the performance style video is based more on entertainment and creating a more enjoyable atmosphere and is also vital to include the correct conventions as any incorrect convention will decrease entertainment within the atmosphere. Based on this analysis, I am considering creating music video based on the genre of girl bands using the style of narrative as I find that the narrative includes and engages the audience more and makes them feel more involved and they display their feelings and emotions and now that I have learned and analysed the different codes and conventions being used within a girl band genre, I now know how I could make my music video popular and successful.