Purpose of a music video

What is the purpose of a music video?

The purpose of a music video is to...

1.  Sell the song and invoke a reaction so it leaves you remembering the song.

2. To give the listener a better understanding of the song.

3. to entertain - to show of other talents the musician may have, for example; dancing or acting).

4. To sell CDs and DVDs to viewers. Creating a memorable visual for the song increases its chances to sell.

5. Marketing for the purposes of exposure and expansion of the artists profile.

Despite all of these being factors in why a music video is important, some people argue that the end result still has to serve one purpose; promotion. The music video is a promotional tool for the artist. It sometimes serves as a conduit to attention from a label, but more often it is a catalyst for CD sales or artist song downloads.

Types of music videos:

There are 3 types of music videos; Performance, Narrative and Concept based.


Performance Based Video:

These are music videos that feature the artist/band/group performing the song through most if not all of the video. It's probably the easiest to do on a budget provided you can get a suitable location for filming.


Narrative Based Video:

A narrative based music video contains mostly footage that attempts to tell a story through the moving image. Usually involving actors, the story is sometimes linked to the lyrical content of the song, but this isn't always the case. This type of music video tends to be popular for a song that's featured in a movie and you will often see scenes cut into the music video.

Concept Based Video:

This is a style of music video that is based around a single concept or idea. These types of videos tend to be fairly unusual or utilize a particular editing or filming technique. It's not often you get a purely conceptual music video as the commercial world demands things to be a bit more accessible.