Music videos aren’t fun anymore like they were before 2010.

Music videos are CRUCIAL to an artist’s career. It gives the song audio life. It builds the world beyond the song topic. It frames their era. Music videos convey deeper messages beyond the lyrics that you hear. Music videos have been around for sooo many years, dating back to the 1920’s. BUT! Cultural impact through music videos ignited through networks like MTV and Vevo. Hungry artists showcased talent beyond singing. They dance, act, and even perform stunts! They also show off their directing skills and involvement in the development of the music video. Who comes to mind when reading this? MTV’s first released music video was on August 1st 1981 by The Buggles, which is the start of an era for MTV.

The first black man to break the barriers for black artists to feature on MTV’s mainstream rotation was Michael Jackson with hit single, Thriller. Thriller is a timeless music video comprising of acting, singing and dancing. Typically, music videos showcased the artist or band, lip-syncing with low budget and lack of narrative. Thriller changed the standard for music videos, making it cinematic , narrative-leading and compelling. These music videos drew in his audience and formed a connection to him as an artist and personally. It is hard to balance being taken seriously as an artist whilst showing a diverse side of your personality and Michael perfected the dosage of both within the short films he directed before the start of the main video. Since then, artists recycled the formula in their own styles. Record labels would invest millions in a project, detailing the set, the outfits, the performance and everything in between, aiming to surpass previously set records. Every artist in the early 2000’s were hungry for recognition. Everyone was STRIVING to be seen as iconic. Perhaps that’s why we were all super locked into music culture back then. Nowadays, the music industry feels empty but why ? There has clearly been a downfall in the production of music videos and we will discuss some reasons that contributed to it.

ACT 1: The Labels

Up until recent years, record labels controlled the industry. Artists had almost no chance in being recognised without going through a label. Signing a deal with a label can last for years. They provide the path to success for the artist and the artist’s brand by artist development. What was supposed to be an initial support system to an artist’s dream, turned into a malicious hustle on the opposite side of the industry. In the early 2000’s, many musical legends were curated by labels and reaped major profit; so much so, that labels sign newer artists and manufacture them to replicate the success of their musical colleagues. Thousands of money would be poured into the production of music videos and if they underperform, that results in both the label and artist losing out. This is where things take a sour turn. When an artist doesn’t have major success in the mainstream charts, they typically get ‘shelved’. Their label halts investments and the production of their next project so that they can re-direct their investments into an artist that will outperform. Unfortunately, artists are recognised as assets rather than artists in the long-term. Looking through those lenses, music videos produced by labels are very formulaic. They are very detailed with the production including elements like a consistent theme, choreography and branded clothing. These music videos are dramatised, aiming to start the next trend or to build an iconic and nostalgic experience that makes the audience repeatedly return to the video. Great examples of iconic and nostalgic music videos from the 2000’s would be: ‘Oops I did it again’- Britney Spears, ‘Single Ladies’ - Beyonce, ‘Bad Romance’- Lady Gaga, ‘Miss Independent’- Neyo, ‘Hey Ya’- Outkast.

Although all of these hits vary in genre and expression, all of the key components are the same. In all of the music videos mentioned above, they all include short acting scenes before the song starts, setting the world for the listeners to walk into. These concepts would be very transcendent, unfamiliar and not always relating to the lyrics/topic of the song. The point of these concepts is to add an element to the song release where it is unavoidable to talk about it or at least hear about it. The more ridiculous, promiscuous and controversial a music video is, WILL attract more attention and press coverage than a vanilla, straight-forward music video. Perhaps that’s why modern-day music videos are more drowned out.. because they don’t have that element of surprise to stain the audiences minds on a global scale or for generations.

The plot is set at the beginning of the video and trickled throughout. The main plot is staged at the chorus or at the bridge of the music video, combining the action with the height of the musical and lyrical production, thus, creating a show. THAT is the main focal point of 2000’s videos. It felt like the artists were putting on a show, a performance in the music video. The level of art creates a sense of stardom, a level of admiration that separates the consumers from the providers (whom would be the artists). The vibrant colours in the video set and the outfits, the expressive and explosive choreography, the effort in making this specific music video the most accessible and successful is what adds up to the status of ICONIC. Now of course there are critics who would call out the disconnect between established artists and ‘commoners’ such as the general public, without thinking that the job of an artist in music at that time was to entertain. Anyways, whether music directors implemented this for this purpose or not, it still holds the crown for being a recognisable staple in 2000’s music videos. The balance between the star and the person is crucial and rewards a captivating human connection to the audience. This is a part in how artists build a personal brand. Emotional parts of the song, vocally and lyrically* ,are structured as close-up shots of the artists face, whether straight-on or at a higher or lower angle with the artist lip-syncing the key part of the song; wearing all of the emotions and performance on their face. They replicate the song’s emotion and makes the whole video and concept feel REAL. It puts us all in a trance in the world they’ve built where the reality of the character the artist is portraying is facing these emotions. Does that make sense?

This is the standard and potential of what the record labels can produce for an artist. I must highlight that there is a difference between utilising music as a job and as an art form. This is where some artists can fall out of terms with their labels. Record labels are a business. An artist signing with a label is entering the music BUSINESS where they get moulded into the product that brings in the most success. I am not defending record labels though, because there are some evil and malicious intent in how they coerce wishful artists to join them, to control their careers. Again, I’d like to emphasise the term ‘STANDARD AND POTENTIAL’ because many artists who signed to labels did not have access to benefits like highly-produced music videos for reasons I stated above. This is why there is a major increase in daring artists who turn their backs on major record labels to become independent. Not everyone has the ingredients for the recipe of a label-made star but is this part of the reason why current music videos are not fun anymore like they were before 2010? Lets talk about the rise of independent artists.

*Vocally- such as major vocal adlibs, choruses, techniques. Lyrically- such as mellow & heartfelt.