What happened to great Music Videos?

[nATAH 57,643]

2 hours ago, Creyk said:

Selena changed the industry with Good for you. The video is very simple, mainly just beauty shots yet the song became a huge global  hit. That showed musicians they don't have to invest in videos anymore and they can still score a hit and the industry has never been the same.

so we just make things up now

[bxr 2,625]

Good question … this might be a bit cliche and dated, but it sort of feels like a residual case of “the medium is the message” … where is the dedicated platform that presents music videos in a way that invites a dedication to the artist‘s production / performance / delivery and the audience’s dedicated undivided attention

Similar to the shift in audio music consumption, where streaming platforms are effectually audio-based mobile apps (as opposed to turntables, cassette players, CD players, MP3 players, musical instruments, and/or even the soundstage … platforms with music engagement as their primary function), visual music performance is relegated to devices that are primarily built for a separate purpose

That and dedicated visual music programming in and of itself is … where? TRL absolutely captured, galvanized, and catapulted the interactive participation of the music video experience … MTV, at its core identity, provided a sustainable platform for visual music presentation and distribution … but, then Paramount and such … so, the shift and/or convergence in media culture and music culture at the turn of the fourth industrial revolution sort of happened as it did, and I guess this dark ages of disposable media (by medium, and message by proxy) influenced the music video’s trajectory

But, again, as always, just musing salt grains into the airwaves on the blink

[llemesm 2,128]

I miss those days when a good music videos was actually a thing 

[llemesm 2,128]

I actually think you’re onto something. I hadn’t really considered how much the disappearance of a dedicated space for music videos changed the way they’re made and consumed.

MTV and TRL made the music video feel like an event, something you actively watched, discussed, waited for, and associated with an artist’s identity. Now it’s mostly just another piece of content fighting for attention on a screen that wasn’t even designed specifically for it.

But I also wonder if that explains everything. Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna, Britney, etc. were making ambitious videos even when there was no guarantee people would watch them in full. There was a genuine belief that the visual world surrounding an album mattered.

Maybe what we’re losing isn’t just the platform, but the idea that a music video can actually be an art form rather than promotional content.

[DESTROY UR DISEASE 21,129]

People don't watch music videos on YouTube anymore

They don't watch music videos

[AVeryGagaHolyDick 32,090]

The way artists don’t do that anymore proves how full of sh!t many of them are.

They only care about money and fame, not about their artistry. And when they’re rich, they could do both but hey, life is what it is, isn’t it?

[bxr 2,625]

1 hour ago, llemesm said:

But I also wonder if that explains everything. Gaga, Beyoncé, Madonna, Britney, etc. were making ambitious videos even when there was no guarantee people would watch them in full. There was a genuine belief that the visual world surrounding an album mattered.

Maybe what we’re losing isn’t just the platform, but the idea that a music video can actually be an art form rather than promotional content.

Really interesting distinction here, as well … something that resonates here is the sense of time, and the temporal context in which the creative work is expressed or experienced or produced. Somewhat going back to the medium and the message—and the contemporary cultural backdrop of disposable media—the artists you reference put more time and consideration into an art form that required time, consideration, resources, and intention … and moreover, there was the inherent reality that the audience would, in turn, receive and witness the creative work with some sense of reciprocity (and consideration, intention, etc.).

Again, I would draw the parallel between audio and visual music experience or consumption as a reflection of the trajectory … it might be cliched or dated to consider now, but, there is validity to the reality of taking the time to go to a brick and mortar shop to purchase physical music media (and, additionally, for the TRL/MTV market in particular, there was that certain onus on the audience to make that purchase with a certain intention of the time it took to earn the money they would spend on the physical media—as opposed to going to the movies, the arcade, or purchasing another recreational item) versus clicking through streams; or even the time and effort it took to download music on P2P platforms … there was some inherent reality of intention and reciprocity and a genuine affinity and regard for the art form / creative work on behalf of the performing artist and audience … there was some sense of sacrifice, it felt like there was something at stake.

Maybe the state of media culture has amplified a ubiquity in the atmosphere of disposability … people, places, things, all fall into this dehumanized frame of passive consumption and expulsion … value seems to be in the transactional exchange, not the experience itself, and even less so the potential for genuine transformation engaging with creative expression

But this could all be rambling; thanks for getting the thoughts percolating, though!

[HotLikeMexico 6,694]

16 hours ago, llemesm said:

Am I the only one noticing this?

I feel like what Gaga helped reclaim in pop music  (the importance of actually investing in music videos as a form of art) is slowly disappearing again. The visuals, makeup, storytelling, choreography, production, artistic direction… all of it used to feel like part of the song’s identity. Now it feels like artists barely invest in making great music videos. So many of them are just… lame. Safe, forgettable, and kinda meh...

is it just me, or artist just don't care about any of that anymore?

What was the last genuinely great music video you watched?  This is mine:

 

I was actually thinking about this recently. As iconic as this video is, I think this was just luck. I liked the video, it’s iconic, simple, effective and done well. But, I rewatched her older videos, and Gaga’s videos aren't what they used to be. Gaga’s videos used to be events and  spectacles. Gaga videos declined post ARTPOP and the newer stuff just isn’t at the same standard. There has also been much less. 
 

 

Edited Sunday at 09:32 PM by HotLikeMexico

[VelvetVenus 219]

They are expensive and the return from it is low

We’ll have a few sponsored music videos like Abracadabra X Mastercard, but not that regularly