To be able to successfully create a music video I decided that I needed to understand how they evolved and how audiences have received them throughout the years. Here is a timeline of the main events in the creation of the music video:
C 1900- Thomas Edison invents the gramophone in the USA. This was the beginning of the shift from the live audiovisual music experience to being able to listen to it in the comfort of your own home- if you were rich of course.
1927- This was when the first sound film was created. The Jazz Singer by Alan Crosland featured the first ever sound in film. This just so happened to be music performed by a star of the time Al Jolson. Even at this early stage star power came into play as the novelty of the famous singer attracted fans to see the film.
1930's- This was the time of the great depression. Music seemed to 'cheer people up', therefore, there was a call for more and more sound films- known as 'soundies' at the time.
1940's- This was the peak time for MGM Hollywood musicals. The musical 'Goldigger' brought about the first voyerism of women in films. The scantily clad females were bound to attract men at the time and still does today. This was when institutions realised that 'sex sells'.
1954- Elvis Presley released 'That's all right Mama'. This is when controversy struck the music industry as it was the first time that 'a white person was singing a black man's music'. It caused uproar in America along with the sexualisation of Elvis. His pelvis was band from screens as it seemed to be exciting young women. This whole rock n roll genre was condemned and many thought it was 'the devils work', brainwashing young people into rebelling. This was the start if the 'teenager' as we know it as before the 50's a separate culture for young adults did not exist. Industries had found a new market to aim their products at.
1950's- Singing in the Rain was a massive hit with audiences, combining narrative, music and dancing. This brought about internationalised media as it was such a big hit that other countries started to share it. The music industry began to internationalise.
1955- ITV was introduced which showed the first adverts. Marketisation was spread onto TV screens.
1964- Top of the Pops was first aired on TV on the BBC. This was widely viewed as there was a very limited number of channels at this time. This all brought about the music chart, making the industry compete within itself to appeal to audiences. They realised how important marketisation was, therefore, created their media pieces to appeal to the main audience of teenagers.
1966- The rebellious nature of teenagers seemed to become more accepted with the introduction of the Monkees. They were an industry lead band which were very much controlled by their superiors. They were used to attract fans with a false sense of rebellion. They were given their own show on NBC in the US to convey this.
1975- Queen's song Bohemian Rhapsody was the first of many longer music videos. It was around 6 minutes long as opposed to the normal 3 minute songs. Star theory came into play as Queen were so big, that they were not industry lead. This mean that anything the produced, would be so successful that they would receive very large profits. The music industry then began to try to make other bands this famous with posters and iconic CD covers. Advertising became very important.
1981- MTV starts with the introduction of cable/satellite TV. This meant that hundreds of channel could now be viewed for many niche audiences. This channel was totally devoted to music. The industry competed again within itself to get their videos onto MTV as much as possible to boost popularity. Audiences accepted the music on this channel and soon became fans of the most played artists.
1983- This again showed star theory with Michael Jackson's Thriller video. This was around 14 minutes long and featured narrative and an iconic dance along with the song. This is one of the most played songs of all time and this album is one of the most iconic in history- making Jackson a household name.
1984- MTV began to internationalise as the demand for video was becoming so great. They also launched their own awards for the best, most adventurous music videos. This increased the competition and demand even more.
1989- MTV reaches 6.7 million homes. Madonna and her director David Fincher wins best director award for her song and video 'Express Yourself'.
1992- MTV realise their power and start broadcasting not only music videos, but a reality TV show called 'The Real World'. It was a documentary following the lives of 7 people living in a New York loft. The TV series 'Beavis and Butthead' was released shortly after and ran for many years due to the success of the channel.
2000- The programme 'Jackass' was launched as a new MTV venture.
2001- The channel made success from their other ventures and TV programmes so they decided to make other channels devoted to music. MTV Dance was launched in this year. They were able to make their channels more niche as they were the biggest name in music distribution of the time and remain a massive name today.
2013- In my opinion, today there is a lesser demand for the music video. We can now listen to music without having to watch TV or listen to a radio. We have access to more knowledge on the artists we like, therefore, do not need to watch TV or videos to see them in action like audiences used to have to do. The introduction of Youtube and MP3/4 downloads means that we can access them within seconds. A discussion with my peers found that none of us really watch these videos any longer, unless they are very striking or cause controversy. Even channels like MTV are becoming background music for us whilst we do other things.
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