Music videos: a must-have or a fading fad?
With the rise of short-form music content in our digital world, are music videos still essential for artists to succeed?
Music videos were once the lifeblood of song promotion. Remember MTV? But with the rise of streaming giants like Spotify and Apple Music, and new platforms like TikTok, I’ve often wondered: are music videos still essential for artists to succeed?
A recent study by Chartmetric sheds light on this exact question. As the report states, the 2010s might be considered the golden age of music videos, with artists like Ed Sheeran, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, Maroon 5, Charlie Puth, and Katy Perry racking up billions of views. Fonsi’s and Daddy Yankees’ "Despacito" still holds the record for the most-viewed video ever with 8.4 billion views — and that’s not even the version with Justin Bieber on it!
However, things have shifted quite noticeably. Chartmetric found that for many genres, particularly pop, fans seem to prefer short-form music consumption through platforms like TikTok and Reels, or opt for full song streams on streaming platforms like Spotify or Apple Music. Charmetric looked at the top streamed songs on Spotify in 2023. Interestingly, 36 out of the top 40 tracks, released between 2022 and 2023, had music videos. While the songs themselves averaged a whopping 1.1 billion streams, the accompanying music videos only garnered an average of 374 million views. This shows a significant gap of 731 million between streams and video views.
There are exceptions, though. For whatever reason, Latin music and K-pop are thriving when it comes to music video consumption. Latin music videos haven't experienced any major dips in popularity on YouTube as viewership has remained remarkably consistent over time. As for K-pop, to captivate audiences worldwide, these artists are pushing the boundaries with high-quality, cinematic music videos. And it’s paying off. On YouTube, a whopping nine out of the ten most-viewed videos in the first 24 hours belong to just two K-Pop groups: BTS (with 5 videos) and BLACKPINK (with 3). BTS even holds the record for the most views in the first 24 hours with their smash hit "Butter," which garnered a staggering 108.2 million views in 2021. For these genres, the music video is still king and a must-have when it comes to music promotion.
But why, after all of these years, has there been a change overall? Chartmetric suggests it reflects a broader shift in pop music itself. Critics argue major labels prioritize viral hits over long-term development, with platforms like TikTok creating instant fame before artists are fully formed. This can lead to uninspired, low-budget videos that struggle to capture the audience’s attention.
For many artists, this might be a welcome change. Video production can be a costly burden on top of music creation; not to mention just the time and energy it takes to put into a music video. And for some artists, maybe they want their music to stand on its own without running the risk of a video misinterpreting the song’s intended message.
The data suggests music videos might not be the sole driver of success as they once used to be. Even though that may be the case today, there’s no doubt that music videos remain a valuable tool that can still be a very key part of an artist's arsenal. Not only do music videos offer another platform to showcase an artist's work and ensure wider availability across all platforms, but it’s also a way for an artist to showcase their image while providing a way for their audience to become visually familiar with them. After all, seeing the artist can be just as important as hearing the artist. But more importantly, as the music landscape has changed in terms of charts and measuring success as it relates to streams, plays, downloads, and purchases, music videos offer just another avenue to drive up those song streaming numbers which is the most important thing as far as record labels are concerned.
So tell me, what do you think?
It's also been proven that if you're not a megastar with all that marketing spend, less fancy, more direct performance style videos are what will stop people scrolling their endless feeds. Human connection trumps cinematic showoffery (again, unless you're Beyonce). I try to make my videos striking, empathetic and immersive - and they're a lot more affordable so I can make more of them!