Music video
In 1894, sheet music publishers Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern hired electrician George Thomas to project still images on a screen during live performances of their song The Little Lost Child. This early experiment became known as the illustrated song and marked the first step toward what we now call the music video. By the 1920s, musical short films appeared alongside talkies, with Warner Bros producing Vitaphone shorts featuring bands, vocalists, and dancers. Animation artist Max Fleischer introduced Screen Songs in the 1930s, inviting audiences to sing along by following a bouncing ball, a concept similar to modern karaoke machines. These early cartoons often featured popular musicians performing hit songs in live-action segments within animated frames.
John Logie Baird created Phonovision discs in the 1930s that included Betty Bolton and other singers from that era. Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies shorts and Fantasia built entire sequences around classical music interpretations. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies were initially fashioned around specific songs from upcoming Warner Bros musical films. Blues singer Bessie Smith appeared in St. Louis Blues, a two-reel short film dramatizing her hit song. Music historian Donald Clarke described Soundies, musical films produced for Panoram jukeboxes, as ancestors of the music video, noting they often included short dance sequences.
In the late 1950s, France introduced the Scopitone visual jukebox, which spawned short films by French artists like Serge Gainsbourg, Françoise Hardy, Jacques Dutronc, and Belgian singer Jacques Brel. Similar machines such as Cinebox in Italy and Color-sonic in the U.S. followed. In 1961, Canadian producer Manny Pittson began pre-recording audio while filming musicians lip-syncing on location for Singalong Jubilee. By 1964, Top of the Pops premiered in Britain, creating demand for promotional clips when live performances weren't possible. The show aired weekly with charts released Tuesday mornings and taping occurring Thursdays.
On the 1st of August 1981, American cable channel MTV launched its first broadcast with The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star, beginning an era of 24/7 music television. This new outlet transformed music videos from occasional promotional tools into central marketing devices for the entire industry. By the mid-1980s, many important acts owed their success to skillful construction and seductive appeal of their videos, including Michael Jackson, Adam and the Ants, Duran Duran, and Madonna.
Two key innovations enabled this transformation: relatively inexpensive video recording equipment and visual effects techniques like image compositing. High-quality color videotape recorders and portable cameras coincided with the DIY ethos of the new wave era, allowing pop acts to produce promotional videos quickly and cheaply compared to film costs. However, as the genre developed, directors increasingly turned to 35mm film or mixed film and video formats.
In November 1992, MTV began screening videos by emerging directors including Chris Cunningham, Michel Gondry, Spike Jonze, Floria Sigismondi, Stéphane Sednaoui, Mark Romanek, and Hype Williams. These creators brought unique visions that would define the next decade. Some went on to direct feature films, continuing a trend started earlier by Lasse Hallström and David Fincher. The channel expanded globally with MTV Europe launching in 1987 and MTV Asia following in 1991.
Michael Jackson's Thriller video released in 1983 set new production standards when it cost US $800,000 to film. Directed by John Landis, the nearly 14-minute-long piece became instrumental in getting music videos by African-American artists played on MTV. Prior to this success, videos by black artists were rarely aired because MTV initially conceived itself as rock-music-oriented. Musician Rick James criticized the cable channel in 1983 for what he called blatant racism regarding his Super Freak clip and other performers' clips being relegated to late-night slots between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.
David Bowie's Ashes to Ashes video from 1980 became the most expensive ever made at that time with a production cost of $582,000. The solarized color video featured stark black-and-white scenes filmed in locations including padded rooms and rocky shores. Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody promotional video employed Bruce Gowers to create content for BBC's Top of the Pops in 1975. Rock historian Paul Fowles later credited the song as widely recognized as the first global hit single where an accompanying video was central to marketing strategy.
Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer video released in 1986 used special effects and animation techniques developed by British studio Aardman Animations. The video won nine MTV Video Music Awards and achieved phenomenal commercial success. Duran Duran's Girls on Film featured topless women mud wrestling and sexual fetishes before being banned by the BBC while MTV aired heavily edited versions. Madonna's Bedtime Story reportedly cost $5 million to produce, making it one of the three most expensive music videos ever created alongside Michael and Janet Jackson's Scream which allegedly cost $7 million.
The website iFilm launched in 1997 hosting short videos including music videos, followed by Napster running between 1999 and 2001 enabling users to share video files peer-to-peer. By mid-2000s, MTV and sister channels largely abandoned showing music videos in favor of reality TV shows like The Real World which premiered in 1992. YouTube launched in 2005 making online video viewing much faster and easier for audiences worldwide.
Google Videos, Yahoo! Video, Facebook, and Myspace adopted similar technologies that profoundly affected how people consumed music videos. Some artists began achieving success through videos seen mostly or entirely online. Band OK Go capitalized on this trend with their 2005 song A Million Ways and 2006 hit Here It Goes Again both becoming well-known first through internet distribution. Apple's iTunes Store initially provided free high-quality compressed music videos watchable via its application before beginning sales for iPod devices with video playback capability.
In December 2009, Vevo debuted as a music video service launched by several major publishers. Videos syndicated to YouTube allowed Google and Vevo to share advertising revenue. As of 2017, Ed Sheeran's Shape of You became the most-watched English-language video on YouTube while Casper Mágico's Te Bote remix held the title for most-watched remix video by 2018 featuring Nio García, Darell, Nicky Jam, Bad Bunny, and Ozuna.
Queen's Body Language became the first video banned by MTV in 1982 due to thinly veiled homoerotic undertones plus excessive skin exposure despite fully clothed band members wearing minimal attire. Olivia Newton-John's Physical aired on the network but ended clips before overt homosexual reveals during some broadcasts. Duran Duran's Girls on Film featured topless women mud wrestling and sexual fetishes leading to BBC bans while MTV showed heavily edited versions.
Madonna generated controversy throughout her career starting with Lucky Star and amplifying through clips like Like a Virgin. Her Papa Don't Preach video sparked outcry over teenage pregnancy subject matter while Like a Prayer courted heavy criticism for religious, sexual, and racially oriented imagery. In 1990, Justify My Love was banned by MTV due to depictions of sadomasochism, homosexuality, cross-dressing, and group sex generating media firestorms. Canada's MuchMusic responded by launching Too Much 4 Much in 1991 airing officially banned videos followed by panel discussions explaining removals.
The Shamen's Ebeneezer Goode faced BBC bans in 1992 perceived as subliminal endorsement of recreational drug Ecstasy. Prodigy's Firestarter got banned by the BBC for arson references while Smack My Bitch Up faced restrictions in some countries due to drug use and nudity depictions. INXS' The Gift was banned by MTV in 1993 using Holocaust and Gulf War footage alongside images of famine, pollution, war, and terrorism. Tool's Prison Sex video remained banned from MTV touching sensitive child abuse matters.
Video albums emerged as commercial releases containing multiple music videos on discs including videotape, LaserDisc, DVD, and Blu-ray formats. Market size remains considerably smaller than audio albums with RIAA gold certifications requiring record labels to ship 50,000 units compared to 500,000 for audio albums. Blondie released Eat to the Beat in 1979 as one early video album featuring all tracks from their fourth studio album produced by Paul Flattery for Jon Roseman Productions and directed by David Mallet.
Olivia Newton-John won Video of the Year at the 25th Grammy Awards for her 1982 collection Physical featuring music videos from ninth studio album Physical. Billboard introduced Top Music Videocassette chart the 30th of March 1985 tracking weekly best-selling music video sales in United States with Tina Turner's Private Dancer reaching number first. UK's Official Charts Company began similar rankings the 30th of January 1994 with Bryan Adams' So Far So Good topping initial charts.
Eagles' Farewell 1 Tour-Live from Melbourne achieved top certification as longform music video with 30-time platinum status representing three million units shipped while Rolling Stones' Four Flicks reached 19-time platinum equating to 1.9 million units shipped. The term visual album gained prominence after Beyoncé released self-titled album in 2013 containing multiple interconnected videos.
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Common questions
Who created the first music video experiment in 1894?
Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern hired electrician George Thomas to project still images during live performances of The Little Lost Child, creating an early illustrated song that marked the first step toward what we now call the music video.
When did MTV launch its first broadcast with a specific music video?
American cable channel MTV launched its first broadcast on the 1st of August 1981 with The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star, beginning an era of 24/7 music television.
Which Michael Jackson video set new production standards in 1983?
Michael Jackson's Thriller video released in 1983 cost US $800,000 to film and became instrumental in getting music videos by African-American artists played on MTV after being directed by John Landis.
What year did Queen's Body Language become the first video banned by MTV?
Queen's Body Language became the first video banned by MTV in 1982 due to thinly veiled homoerotic undertones plus excessive skin exposure despite fully clothed band members wearing minimal attire.
When was Billboard's Top Music Videocassette chart introduced?
Billboard introduced Top Music Videocassette chart the 30th of March 1985 tracking weekly best-selling music video sales in United States with Tina Turner's Private Dancer reaching number first.