Music Video Outlets.

In this particular unit we have been set the task to research on different music video outlets. Music videos help the artist promote and sell their songs depending on their target audience. Music videos vary with different types of animation, typography and possibly a story line to the song itself.  These outlets are Music channels, Mainstream TV, Direct CD/DVD releases, Downloads, Artist websites and Streaming. 

Mainstream TV

Music videos are rarely shown on mainstream television like they did in previous years, this is because music channels have been introduced on other channels. Technology however, has evolved through the years so programmes such as T4 shown on Channel 4 and Top Of The pops shown on BBC TWO very rarely air as there are many other ways for viewers to see music videos such as MTV and Channel AKA, also the internet plays a huge part as it is easily accessible to the audience. Artists have a better promotion strategy when going through Mainstream TV as it is highly populated all over the world. Many artists use this to promote their music and themselves. There are many television programmes which interview the artist, these programmes are usually aired  on BBC ONE, BBC TWO, ITV, CHANNEL 4 and CHANNEL 5. An advantage of Mainstream TV would be that it is free to the audience, this is also an advantage to the artist as their music will be aired for everyone to see. It also brings a sense of togetherness, an example of this would be when Micheal Jackson Thriller video had been shown on mainstream TV in 1983. When the Micheal Jackson video was released in early morning everyone was tuning in to watch the 15 minute video, this really helped the director, John Landis gain more publication from the iconic music video. Some music videos cannot be shown due to watershed as they are not suitable to air on daytime mainstream television. An example where a director had to create two versions of a music video would be Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines. The original video had to be censored, creating the second version to the music video, due to the inappropriate imagery throughout the video.  

 

Below the clean cut version to blurred lines, there is a link that directs you to the unrated version of the video. 

Music Channels.

Music Channels are the only television programmes which stream the latest music videos, upcoming artists, new album releases and the top monthly charts. An advantage of music videos would be that it shows the latest music videos and airs a range of different music genres. For example Kerrang mainly shows rock and indie music and Flava shows the more RnB style music. It is important that there is a range of different types of music as it can fit to different peoples personal interests. Another advantage to the audience would be that the songs will all be at a good quality when viewing them. Music Channels also help promote and support new upcoming artists as it gets everyone hearing the song which could get them to buy and create a fan base for the artist. A downfall to having music channels would be that programmes such as MTV show about 3-4 songs and then will cut to a break, also not everyone can afford to have extended channels as MTV. The audience also becomes more up to date with their favorite artists and bands when watching Music Channels. Also when a iconic artist sadly passes away their music is played constantly for a couple of months for example Micheal Jackson. Although he isn't alive to release new music he is still advertised all over the world for his old music. This is very beneficial to his record labels such as Sony BMG Music Entertainment. 

Illegal/Legal Downloads. 


With the change of technology it has become quite common for people to download music either legally or illegally via the Internet. The vast majority of websites such as Limewire, which had been shut down after a four-year legal battle with the US music industry, used to offer an option to download music for free it is much more convenient, as it is quick and east to access. However the downfall to downloading illegally would be that if caught, you will get fined and there will be more of a chance of the song having poor quality. If caught ripping any music or merchandise the money that you have been fined directly go towards the industry, which is actually an advantage to the music industry. Another disadvantage would be that with the free copies to download over the internet more people will be tempted to download those, which means that there will be no money going towards the artist and their record company. An example of a legal website to download the best copies of music would be iTunes.  The album prices sold on iTunes are the exact same as the albums sold in stores which proves that if buying from iTunes there is no reason to be scammed or ripped off. iTunes are a good way for the artist to know where their music is in the charts. Currently in the UK Look Right Through - Storm Queen is at the top of the charts, but in the US Bad Day by Justin Beiber is at the top of the charts. Also iTunes allows people to listen to short clips before they buy, and if the album it is not what the buyer is expecting they don't need to waste all their money by buying the whole album. 

Artist Website. 

Artists websites are a great way for artists to promote themselves, from artist websites you can find out the latest information on them such as latest album or single releases, video releases and interviews. An advantage for artist websites would be that it is easily accessible, you are also able to find out a lot about the artist for future tour dates etc. There isn't really a negative point to state about artist websites itself, however some people may not have easy access to the internet at home which would make it hard to keep up to date with the latest information. On Drakes website he advertises many other social media outlets such as Twitter, YouTube and Myspace. This enables fans to interact with Drake and keep updated on what is going on in his life and music. His website also promotes his latest album,'Nothing Was The Same' with the background being the album cover. Drake also promotes merchandise with links to his clothing range 'OVO Clothing'. Because Drake is a mainstream artist and performer he has a large audience and fan base which helps his record label, YCMB, and to gain more popularity. 

Direct CD/DVD releases

CD and DVD releases often hold extra information on the artist such as reasons behind the music, interviews and quite possibly artist inspiration. Artists often include a DVD which i where sometimes, some artists include videos of performances, music videos or bonus tracks. CD's are distributed all over the world to many stores for people to buy legally. A particular store which is one of the main places to buy CDs and DVDs would be HMV. Every time a copy of the CD has been purchased the money the artists record company gains the money which is an advantage to the artist. HMV also supports latest single releases by playing then aloud throughout the store which increases the buying rate of the single. A downfall to CDs and DVDs would be that they can become easily damaged and that with technology today, people often choose to buy singles and albums on iTunes or unfortunately for the artists, downloading illegally. Some CDs hold a behind the scene DVD of the artist whilst creating the album, on tour or generally in the life of the artist, an example of an artist with this feature DVD would be Justin Beiber. From adding this DVD along with the CD, Beiber gets a lot more promotion for himself, his record label when it comes to his audience and fan base. The DVD is also an exclusive which means that it cant be bought separately which will increase the buying rate of the CD thus making company and the artist gain more money. 

Streaming Websites. 

Streaming websites are a good way to help promote upcoming music videos. A popular website used globally would be YouTube as they are constantly updating on new music videos. You are also able search and watch older videos which is better than Mainstream Television as older music isn't played as much as current music and you are able to search in the search box for pretty much anything you like. in comparison to mainstream television, streaming websites definitely get the upper hand due to the fact that they actually show old, recent and current music. Each YouTube video also has small icons at the bottom which are direct links to Facebook, Twitter and many more which allow the artist to become more popular which enables more people to hear about them. This also benefits the networking sites itself as YouTube is promoting them by having their links down below. YouTube often plays short advertisements before videos for people to hear the song. This helps the promotion of the video, song and artist. A downfall to live streaming could be that some people aren't lucky enough to have great signal which means that the video could have poor video and sound quality. Streaming Websites are the foundations to many famous people we hear almost all the time such as Jessie J. Jessie J used to make home videos and upload them to YouTube in hope she will get heard one day, which luckily she did.