Function of a Music Video

What is a music video?

A music video is a 'performance of a band or an artist song' which is videotaped.

What is the function of a music video?

The main purpose of the video is to promote the song, also the new album release and artist which will help generate income to the artist from the sales. But in order to this a music video must:

- Promote the song, that way the song can be played in different places such as TV on music channels which be shown to millions of views which will help the song promote the rest of the albums sales whether it is on CD form or MP3 form.

- Engage the audience because if it doesn't then the audience won't want to promote it to other which can harm the album and song sales. A good music video engages the audience to make them more interested to listen to the rest of the album and hopefully buy it.

- To entertain the audience is a key factor because if the audience isn't entertained they are more likely not wanting to watch any videos or buy anything from the artist. That's why it's is very important for the artist to do something that can highlight the artist  such as dancing and performance apperance.

- A music video is one of the best ways to show that it is a marketing tool because it helps sell the artist brand and their products such as Concerts, albums and singles, this is so it  widens their audience to a much bigger audience.

- Providing a clear understanding of the single and the album through the narrative it may have in the video.

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody  

I believe that this music video is a good example of a music video because even though this was the first music video ever, it highlights some of the main functions of a music video, Queen have made sure the video has been promoted the way they wanted it to be promoted which was on the music channels such as MTV. They have entertained the audience by showing off their talent with their instruments.

Michael Jackson - Thriller 

This video is also a great example of a music because Michael Jackson shows a clear understanding of the song , because he has a narrative and it links in with the video which is very good. Michael Jackson made sure that the song was entertaining because he made sure the dancing made people want to learn the song and also made people want to buy the song and the video. Also the video promoted itself all over the world and it is still played on the TV.