Recall the first music video that stuck with you for years. Perhaps it was the choreo that Michael Jackson served in Thriller, or perhaps it was just Beyoncé’s Single Ladies. But one thing is for sure, you can’t hear them without running through the video in your head. That’s the magic of music videos: they don’t just flow with the song, but transform it into another story that you can not only watch but also absorb.
Why Do Music Videos Matter?
You may think of music videos as being extraneous, but more often than not, they’re the main thing that makes a song go viral. There are many songs that sound flat, per se, but when combined with their music videos, they explain a touching story that wins millions of hearts. A great video doesn’t simply show you an artist’s singing; it creates a world around the song. Take Billie Eilish, for example; most of her videos have haunting and dreamlike visuals that deepen her darkening sounds and make the song sound even better.
Creating music videos also creates a sense of familiarity with your fans. It’s totally different when they listen to songs through headphones, but when they see the story in visuals, it adds another layer. And I bet, even if you don’t want to remember the song, you suddenly can just because of the visuals.
Storytelling Using Music Videos
All music videos, at their most basic level, tell a story. However, it is not a prerequisite. Some artists like to go abstract, like Sia’s haunting collaborations with dancer Maddie Ziegler; their visuals talk in metaphors. While others just straight up go with narratives, like Taylor Swift’s cinematic approach to dropping pretty much anything.
However, you are able to feel something through every music video, even when it is not a story itself. Smart camera angles, a moody color palette, or eerie animations using a great music video creator can turn a 3-minute song into an unforgettable memory.
Social Media Factor
Today, where streaming services and social media are dominant within the music industry, videos matter even more than they did in the past. I’m sure when you scroll through TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube Shorts, you pay more attention to visuals than songs themselves. Several social surveys have even shown that around 80% people watch videos on mute. This is one of the main reasons for music videos with great visuals to go viral, and if you pair it up with a catchy musical fragment, it booms overnight.
Videos are just a bonus anymore; they’ve become a fuel behind trends. In some sense, the music video itself has become a launchpad for the contemporary music business.
Balance between Art and Authenticity
The best thing about music videos these days is that you don’t have to pour thousands of dollars into making it sound perfect. They just need to feel real. Fans can relate to more authentic content as compared to the glossy production. Many artists claim that a cellular video they capture in raw of a protest can hit harder than a million-dollar shoot staged over several days.
Artists are getting more creative and experimenting with visuals that can deliver their message. It doesn’t matter if your music video depicts the most surreal animation or documentary-style storytelling; the best music videos are only those that resonate with people on a personal level.
Future of Music Videos
The music video industry is already moving in a direction of interactive experiences. They immerse fans in such a way that they feel like they are a part of the experience. Scientists and creators are making more and more tools that sync your visuals directly to the lyrics or a beat and opening up new doors for artists. This is especially useful for artists who don’t have a large budget, unlike production companies. They can simply use tools like Neural Frames, which produce the whole video while syncing to their music within minutes and without any investments.
All in all, one thing is clear: music videos are not fading anytime soon. They are expected to continue evolving with technology for years to come.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, music videos are primarily a tool to connect. They act as a bridge between the artist and fans. Better visuals and unique storylines always grab more attention, making the artist popular.
Social media snippets of music videos with catchy music fragments are also a great way to make the song go viral overnight. If you’re a creator, dropping music videos just due to a lack of budget is a silly move. You can always use visual music AI tools to generate a great video without a budget-breaking budget. Because a song just ain’t finished until you have its companion music video ready for the fans.