When Music Videos Were a Rarity
MTV Music Television had its official launch on August 1, 1981 (before many people reading this were even born!). The very first video they played was The Buggles “Video Killed the Radio Star” followed by Pat Benatar’s “You Better Run.” While Music Television wasn’t available everywhere right away, record labels caught on pretty quick that this type of promotion wasn’t going anywhere.
There was a time when music videos were sort of a rarity. Sure, rock bands made movies, (The Who’s “Tommy,” “The Song Remains the Same” from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”) but a 4-minute mini-film to go along with a song? Not so much. Pre MTV, the only place you might see a music video was before a movie or at a club.
When MTV launched, it was available in just a few thousand homes in Northern New Jersey. By 1984, the channel was in 24 million households and many other countries would follow suit. Canada had MuchMusic, Mexico had Televisa and Europe had MTV Europe. Because of where I lived, my family was among the first to get MTV. As such, my den became a pretty popular after-school destination.
Big Business
It quickly became apparent that music videos had a direct correlation to how many albums and cassettes were being sold. They quickly became big business. The MTV Music Video Awards were created to honor the medium and some music videos were groundbreaking works of art. A-ha’s “Take on Me,” Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and Godley and Crème’s “Cry” to name just a few. Duran Duran were the first band to give a music video (“Union of the Snake”) to MTV a full week before the single was released to radio. Video directors Michael Gondry, Paul T. Anderson, David Fincher, Kathryn Bigelow, Michael Bay and Ava DuVernay are just a few of the auteurs who went on to become successful film directors.
A Calling Card For Artists
While MTV doesn’t play many videos anymore, a music video is still a staple thanks to YouTube, Tik Tok and Instagram. An amazing way to draw more attention to a song, a music video is a calling card for artists. A video can signal to fans, booking agents and music supervisors that you’re invested in your career. It is a great tool to use on your social media channels and it shows off your vibe. You can use a new video to engage your base as they countdown to its premiere. Make it even cooler by partnering with a blog or influencer to be part of it all. If you’re using Play MPE’s Caster you can include the video in the promo that goes to radio programmers, supervisors, brand curators, and more.
Maximizing the lifespan of your video is both a smart and powerful way to extend its impact without extra production costs. One great way to do this is by entering your band’s music video into festivals. It’s a pro move and gives you the chance to get your music in front of people who might not discover it otherwise. Since we’re nothing if not helpful here at the Tuned In Blog, here are some Fests for you to research and enter. Drop us a line if your music video is accepted!
Upcoming Music Video Festivals
Australia & New Zealand:
CLIPPED Music Video Festival
Melbourne Women in Film Festival
NZIFF (New Zealand International Film Festival)
Show Me Shorts Film Festival
Canada:
NXNE (North by Northeast)
TIMVF
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Europe:
Berlin Music Video Awards
Europe Music Video Awards (EMVA)
Madrid Indie Film Festival (MADRIFF)
UK Music Video Awards
Mexico:
Shorts México – Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de México
StuffMX
United States:
Cadence Music Video Festival
New York Indie Short Fest
Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology
SXSW Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Now’s the time! Film that music video and start sending your tracks to curators with Caster.