The evolution and changing role of the music video from 1900 and its

likely development in the future.

Since the 1900’s, we’ve seen the music video grow and develop. It has evolved from the first

ever music video in 1935 to the current ones we have today in 2013 and is likely to change

and develop into the future.

Over the many years of music video history, the music video has changed immensely. In

1935, German composer Oskar Fischinger created the first ever music video to his song

Komposition in blau (Composition in blue). This was mind blowing for the public in 1935 for

many reason; it was the first ever music video, it was in colour and it was stop motion so the

sound and imagery were synchronised.

Komposition in blau was made for artistic purposes, however, the idea of a music video is to

promote the song and the artist which is why many artists star in their music videos and this

idea has been developed over time.

As more and more music videos started to be produced, some artists became more artistic

with their videos to create a wider fan base and promote their music to more people. The

audience have quite high demands for a music video and expect it to grab their attention so

the artist has to engage their audience in whatever way possible and it has always been like

this. For example, in Elvis Presley’s song ‘Don’t be cruel’, created in 1956, it involves close

ups Elvis Presley himself which appealed to a lot of females, also it included pretty women

dressed in little clothing which appeals to the males and it also included Elvis’ signature

dance move which satisfied all of the fans.

As music videos have evolved, some artists have attempted to be daring with their music

videos and try things that other artists haven’t. This sometimes ends with obscene music

videos and results with them being banned. As times changed, some things became more

acceptable in society, yet people are not prepared to see them on screen. For example, in

2003, Russian duo t.A.T.u released their single ‘All the things she said’ which was popular in

the UK. However, it is said to be one of the most controversial music videos due to the fact

that the duo end up kissing and claimed that it was not suitable for children. In the UK, it

became banned on several channels and television duo Richard and Judy launched a

campaign to ban the video from television.

Other artists are controversial for other reasons and also end up getting banned. For

example M.I.A’s music video for ‘Born Free’ is highly controversial as it features a mass

genocide of ginger people and a twelve year old boy gets shot in the head. It was banned off

YouTube after being released in the UK and USA.

Music videos used to cost a lot of money and were shown on music channels such as MTV,

which started in 1981. However, in 2005, YouTube was launched and has allowed people to

watch music videos for free. This has created a decline in viewership for music channels and

artists don’t make as much money from music videos as they used to. Because of this,

music channels started showing programmes instead to make up for their financial and

audience decline. For example, MTV is now showing reality shows such as 16 And

Pregnantand Jersey Shore.

In the future, I think that there won’t be much change in music videos. Music videos are

currently relatively cheap to produce and you don’t need a large budget. I think this will stay

the same because the artists are making money via concerts, merchandise and more.

However, I do believe that artists will include more fan participation and include their fans in

their videos. Some artists are already doing this, but I believe that this will continue and will

influence more artists to do the same. This is because more and more artists are becoming

more artistic with their videos and are trying to be more interactive with their audience. Some

artists will still continue to be controversial and see how far they can push the boundaries;

this will be for publicity and will still help promote the band.

Overall, I believe that since the first ever music video in 1935, that the music video itself has

changed and developed to what we have today. However, I believe that music videos have

fully developed and we won’t see a great amount of change of them in the future, just that

they will be more artistic and will include more fan participation.