29.1 Understanding the purposes of music videos

I have been asked to talk about the main purposes of a music video and how the music videos help the artist increase income for the record company and how it increases the singers popularity and how artists use specific techniques in their videos to sell their music.  


Promotional of a particular song 

Hotline bling-Drake : 
This song first came out on the 13th of February 2016 and at the time many music videos included the representation of woman to make their music videos a big hit and so the artist(Drake) took advantage of the situation. At the start of the music video Drake (the artist) included a variety of attractive females to draw the viewers into watching the video, this promoted the song as he tried to reach out to his target audience who are mainly male teenagers. As the video goes on the name of the song is shown on the screen, this is so others will know what the name of the song is and also promotes his song when it is  played elsewhere.  The video uses a variety of different colours from warm to cold and from dark to light this is done on purpose to make the video more interesting and exciting. The background starts of with a warm colour however that instantly changes when the artist starts to sing. As the artist starts to sing not only does the background start to change however the artist starts to dance as the song includes a dance routine, this will attract the viewer as they could feel that they are part of the song by starting to dance, this therefore will then promote the song, and the artist will eventually make money from it. Although many viewers where a fan of the song, the dance was the stand out to many others as it was unique and unexpected from the artist .The artist changes his clothing several times. The type of clothing the artist wears are only big brands this suggests that he is trying to say that this song is going to be a big hit in the music industry. Although the music video includes a variety of different features the main feature that the music video has is the collection of camera angles. The main camera angle that is used in the video is the close up, this is used so the viewer would know who the artist of the song is. However although the video uses a close up on the artist the video also includes a long shot of the artist. As you can see from the bottom left shot the long shot is used so the name of the song would be included, this however then promotes the song to the viewers. The main purpose of the music video is to sell the song and to let you remember it, the video also gives the viewer deeper information and understanding of the song. However the main reason a music video is used in the song or in any song is to promote the single and to broadcast their talents to the whole world also music videos provide the ideal opportunity for experimenting with visual moving imagery allowing learners to use their creative imagination.









There are a handful of ways in releasing a single however the main and the most important ways are firstly to register a release, meet the chart rules and to chart retailers.  firstly the artist needs to register a release , this means that the singer needs to make sure the product have the correct identification codes and that these are registered with the correct bodies. secondly you have to meet the chart rules before the product is registered you need to ensure your release follows the chart rules. Thirdly you need to make sure your single is sold through a chart reporting retailer. .Promoting your music is probably the most important thing to do in the music industry it is also important as a variety of people would know the new big hit in the industry. Firstly the way you promote your music is to upload your single on social media perhaps uploading it on YouTube or SoundCloud either way that is the first step into promoting your single.Secondly the second way into promoting your single would be by creating an official music video for the song. Music videos are powerful as they provide a visual representation of a song. Thirdly the third way into promoting your single is by creating a lyric video. A lyric video enhances the original song by showcasing the lyrics. The fourth way in promoting your single is by using YouTube or any sort of social media website to give a background information for your new single so it can create a buzz around the fans. the fifth way to promote the single is by utilisation of social media, using social media is a huge way in promoting a single whether its by advert or radio or Twitter this gives an inside information about the single and promotes it as more and more people would start to know about it.


Promotion of the artists album

Justin Bieber- Purpose

At the start of the video there is a close up shot on the artists (Justin Bieber) face so the viewers would know who the artist is. The song promotes the singers album in a variety of ways, the first way the song promotes the album is by the song name. The name of the song is "purpose" and the name of the artists latest album is called "purpose" this promotes the album as a number of people would know what the albums called. Another way the song promotes the album is when the artist mentions the word "purpose" numerous times. This is a technique used by the singer to promote his latest album as he mentions the word throughout the music video. The third way the artist promotes his album through his single is by mentioning the fans and how they have helped him through the journey he has been in. This is a technique to win over the public so they would listen to his music and to buy his album and to increase the popularity of the album. As you can see from the shot above that the music video directly mentions the artists album. The album is mentioned at the end of the music video so the viewers last sight is the name of the album therefore this promotes the album and more and more people would know about it. Many might say that the video doesn't include any drama and controversy, this is because the artist is only focused on the music and to promote his album. However throughout the video women representation is used but isn't the main thing as the singer is mainly focused on the song because if the song is good he will make more fans therefore will mean that more people will purchase his new album. the music video also helps him promote his album as the artist is included in it and the name of the album is also added. the music video also includes a warm colour in the background and in the outfit of the dancers. Although the music video has many features a key features that is used is the camera angles of the video. as you can see from the bottom shots there are two type of camera angle. the first shot has an over the shoulder shot and the second shot has a long shot as it includes the artists entire body.   

There are number of ways in promoting a new album and for the album to become a big hit in the music industry however these are the main four ways in promoting an album. The first way is by employing your fans, one of the best ways to get fans talking about your album is involvement. If people feel that they have contributed to the album or had an influenced the artist into doing something different they are more likely to  speak about it, this could be as simple as the artist personally thanking them in the album booklet. The second way in promoting your new album is live promotion. Live shows can be used to create intensity and excitement for the fans, not only would this get fans excited however it will give the artist a chance to see if the songs would need fixing if it doesn't sound right out loud. the third way in promoting a new album is by constant content. Constant content is important as fans would be updated in what the artist will be doing in the next few months and whether the artist is going to release a new single or a new album. Social media is the best way to keep the fans updated in what the artist is doing next. Lastly the fourth way in promoting your album is by bloggers and press, this is important because this makes you reach out to the audience. this is similar to what Justin Bieber did to promote his album, the artist visited the Ellen DeGeneres show for a whole week to promote his album and while he was there he gave a teaser in what the album is going to include as he sang to the audience. 

Promotion of a new artist or promotion of an artists change in musical direction or image 

Miley Cyrus- Wrecking ball

The first image the viewer sees while watching the music video is a close up on Miley Cyrus's (the artist) face, this is done to promote the young female pop star and so the audience would know who the singer is. the video includes a variety of features that would intrigue any viewer as the music video includes controversy, this will promote the song and mainly promote the singer as more and more people would be talking about the song and will be highlighting the singer. the controversy that was used in the music video was women representation. This is used when Miley Cyrus stripped naked and started swinging on a wrecking ball breaking the walls down. This song was talked about by many different people as the video caused a shock to the public and mainly to the artists fans as her type of music direction changed completely and her image changed to. Miley Cyrus's fans where used to an innocent drama free pop star however as time went her mind set changed, the artist wanted to attract more and more fans some say the changed helped her and it surely did as she gained a numerous amount of fans and followers. Including controversy in the music video not only helps her but also promotes the single and mainly promotes her as a bigger and an interesting singer. Artists use controversy in their music video as it is a tool and a technique to promote them and their songs. Singers also use controversy in their videos as they are trying to send a message out and in this particular video the artist is trying to tell us about her love life. By the artist being in the video also promotes her as a singer. the controversial music video reached up to 19 million views in the first 24 hours. At the time the song was released the artist left Hollywood records, which is the primary outlet for Disney artist. and she eventually signed for RCA records, the change in record label gave Miley Cyrus freedom in changing her musical direction and image eventually as time gone by the artists single reached number 1 in the music charts which was Miley Cyrus's first ever single to reach the top, the music video several VEVO records. The way this all happened is by a number of factors, the main factor is the success and the talent of the artists because the singer kept her self known and kept herself in the spotlight which made the public talk about her and her single. 

Promotion of and synergy with another media product.

Wiz Khalifa- See You Again FT Charlie Puth

At the start of the music video there is a use of movement by the camera, the camera shows an upwards movement with the sun shown on the top right of the screen , this is trying to say that the sun has risen and that that the music video has a warm colour throughout the song as the sun and background has a light yellow tone as shown in the shot below. The music video give the audience an insight in how the latest fast and furious is going to be like because the song is for the recently deceased actor Paul Walker and to promote the new and exciting film.The video firstly promotes Wiz Khalifa (the artist) because he is the first person to appear on the screen in the music video however as the music video goes on it also promotes the singer (Charlie Puth) that is featured in the song. As Charlie Puth starts to sing a car is shown in the background however its not just any car its a fast car to represent the film and the type of cars that will be included in the movie. The music video starts to show clips and highlights in how the film is going to be like, this promotes the film because more and more people would know about the latest film. By fast furious including big names such as Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth is also a good promotion for the film as people would want to watch it knowing that the song will be included in the movie. However many people would want to watch the film as it includes the actor Paul Walker. The music video includes celebrity endorsement this is a good promotional technique as celebrities tend to attract a numerous amount of fans. As Wiz Khalifa starts to rap the music and the beat got faster and faster this is another way in promoting the film as it is trying to say that there will be a variety of fast cars that will be included in the film. By including a selection of cars in the background while the artist raps as shown in the bottom shot is a way in reaching to there target audience and to draw them to the song and the film however you see a different variety of coloured cars to make the scene look more interesting. In the video there are a collection of camera angles and shot however the main camera shot that gave the most effect on the audience is on the departed actor Paul Walker, the shot is a close up on his face to say that he will always be remembered this will also make the viewers sympathetic to the former actor as he is gone. At the end of the music video you get to see an open road with a car, the man driving the car was Paul Walker the scene shows a variety of features, by including an open road gives Paul Walker a good send of and gives his fans joy which promotes both the song and the film however the scene also includes a long shot as the camera is constantly zooming out of the car. The main reason this song was made was to say a final farewell to the actor Paul Walker this is shown when a use of text is used in the background saying "For Paul" with a warm colour around it (shown in the shot above), a warm colour is used to tell us that the ex actor was a kind and lovable person. When Wiz Khalifa said "I know we had to hit the road and laugh" this probably is a reference to the latest film he is in. The song was a big hit as it was for a particular person and is emotionally powerful therefore it promoted both the actors the film and both of the artists included in the song. 

Increasing the income for the record company

Kent Jones- Don't Mind 

At the start of the music video the first image the viewer sees is attractive women this increases the income for the record company in a numerous amount of ways, firstly it causes controversy as women representation is being shown to the public, by including controversy in the video is a good promotional tool as many will start speaking about it therefore this increases the popularity of the record company and increases the income with it. Another way the music video increases the income of the record label is by including the nam of the company in the video this is shown at the start of the music to tell the audience what kind of music the label produces. As you can see from the shot above the text of the record label is in full capitals and the colour of the text is bright, this is done so it stands out so more and more viewers would know the name of the record label. The artists uses more than one language in the song this will attract viewers from different countries to listen to the song and therefore will increase the popularity and the income of the record label. The artist wears shiny gold jewellery throughout the music video this is trying to say that the record label only produces quality music. Not only does the artist wear gold jewellery he also wears a chain with the record labels brand name on it , this helps the label as it is good advertisement as the popularity of it increases. The video includes celebrity endorsement to advertise the song however the celebrity is the founder of the record label and as he is included in the music

video he promotes his record label by wearing a shirt that says the record labels name on it "we the best music". The video includes product placement by adding the alcoholic drink "Ciroc" this will include the popularity of the song as people will hear about the drink and therefore will increase the income of the record company. The artists uses more than one product placement as he includes another alcoholic drink to make his video known. the artist uses a third product placement which is another alcoholic drink.In all occasions when the drinks are shown the camera zooms in on them so they can stand out and for the viewers to see that they are included in the video.The music video has a warm colour to it to represent the song the warm colour is shown when the sun appears and is also shown by the clothes of the artist has he wears bright gold clothes and gold jewellery. Although the music video mainly promotes and increases the income of the record label it also promotes the artist this is shown at the start of the video when his name appeared on the screen for viewers and fans to see, by promoting the artist could slightly be a benefit for the record company as if the viewers enjoyed the song they would want to listen to his music more often therefore it increases the income of the company. There are a variety of close ups on the women, this is done to intrigue the viewers.

Increasing the range of media artist is active in. 

50 Cent- Big Rich Town FT Joe 
The music video helps the artist in a variety of way, the purpose of the music video was to promote him as both a rapper and an actor his is shown when the rapper shows highlights and clips o the latest show he is in to promote himself as an actor. The rapper/actor includes celebrity endorsement in his music video however he chose specific celebrities as they are characters in the show he is in as you can see from the shot below the celebrities are included in the show. The song and the music video let viewers see 50 Cent not only as a rapper but also as an actor. The music video adds flashy and fats cars to attract the viewers which then leads to an increase in the popularity of the song and the show the artist is in. As you can see in the shot above the background includes normal cars this is done so the car stands out to the audience. At the start of the music video the singer includes his name for the viewers to see and to increase the range of media the artist is active in. The video adds a close up on 50 Cents face to show who the artist is and to show the artists emotions.At the start of the video the artist includes a text saying "big rich town" and in the background you actually big buildings in a big rich town this is done to give a deeper information in how he pictures a rich town , then moments later he shows a poor area to show where he was before he started rapping and where he is now a "big rich town". The artist includes big and rich brands to show how big of an actor and a rapper he is. The purpose of this music video was to tell the rappers fans that he can do both act and sing and another reason he made this music video was to promote the show he is in. The artist sings on top of a roof top to show that he is at the top game as he is acting and singing at the same time. The video has a warm colour to it due to the clothes the artist i wearing and to give an insight to the viewers in how

the show is going to be like, however the man singing along side 5 Cent wears a big black coat to show that the show also has a dark plot to it. The video includes a numerous amount of movement in around the both artist this is done to show the background of the image and to sow how high they are as they are both on the roof. The song is also played in the shows theme song so every time the show is on it promotes the artist as more and more people will be watching. The ending of the video shows the main character on the show holding a gun this is done as it creates a memorable scene to the viewers and therefore more people will watch the show he is in. The clips in the video gets faster and faster as the video goes on to show the level of intensity and drama shown on the show he is in.

In conclusion I believe music videos are made to sell the song and to let the viewers remember it. A music video also gives the listener a better understanding of the song. However the main purpose of a music video is to entertain the viewer by showing their talents to the public. Creating a memorable visual for a song is very important as it helps the artist sell there singles and there albums, whether its by women representation, controversy or violence it all helps the artist by selling there latest single and helps increase the popularity of the artist as more and more people would be talking about it this then helps the record label in a variety of ways.




Bibliography 

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