Evolution Of Music Videos

The Evolution of Music Videos 

Since the 1920's, music videos have developed and come a long way through the growth of technology. What really sparked their popularity was the creation of MTV in 1981. As more people began to tune in to the television channel, it quickly became the artists longest promotion tool of the decade. 

Once MTV was launched, the very first video released was 'video killed the radio star' by The Buggles. After this, more successful artists featured their music videos in the hope of receiving a promotional deal. 

As more and more music videos were featured on the channel, the competition grew meaning that more money was invested into each artists video. However, Michael

Jackson wiped the floor by releasing the very first big budget music video called 'Thriller'. The production was incredibly costly being over 1 million dollars! 

Although, the man himself then topped this by releasing 'Scream' featuring Janet Jackson. Despite the successes of Michael Jackson's music videos, other artists also contributed money towards their videos in order to reach the pinnacle of fame and familiarity (like Madonna and Guns N' Roses). 

Nevertheless, everything changed since the launch of You Tube in 2005. This program made it easier for fans to get closer to their most admired stars. Also, it reflected that music promotion was becoming more successful online due to easier access as well as offering a new platform for musicians in terms of elevation.