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Are music video's irrelevant?

musicismylife78musicismylife78 Posts: 6,116
edited September 2008 in Other Music
An mtv article on the death of TRL mentioned this briefly. What's your take?

It seems their was a time when music videos were basically commercials for a band or album. they were promo shots.

And then you had bands like PJ or Nine Inch Nails or Tool who wouldnt make a ton of videos but when they did, they were must see high art, type stuff.

But lately, or at least maybe since 1999 when Britney and Christina and N'sync hit the scene, music videos became just crass commercialism. no artistic part, just lipsynched crap. And then of course, the refusal of MTV to play music videos at all, or when they do, its for 30 seconds via TRL, where the real stars arent the videos, but the audience giving "shoutouts" to friends and family.

Its also seems now a band can have ridiculous buzz even before an album or video is possible. Take Arctic monkeys, or Vampire Weekend, or Arcade Fire, who had "greatest bands ever" buzz before any of us even knew who they were.

So do bands even need to release videos anymore?

When was the last artistic and mindblowing video you saw? Life Wasted? House of Cards?
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • MilestoneMilestone Posts: 1,140
    I grew up on MTV. In fact, it's how I discovered PJ back in 91.

    Today, I honestly couldn't even tell you what channel MTV is on my cable.

    For me, the video died about 10 years ago. Not only did the quality of the video begin to falter.....so did the quality of popular music in general.

    Signed,
    33 year old male.
    11-2-2000 Portland. 12-8-2002 Seattle. 4-18-2003 Nashville. 5-30-2003 Vancouver. 10-25-2003 Bridge School. 9-2-2005 Vancouver.
    7-6-2006 Las Vegas. 7-20-2006 Portland. 7-22-2006 Gorge. 9-21-2009 Seattle. 9-22-2009 Seattle. 9-26-2009 Ridgefield. 9-25-2011 Vancouver.
    11-29-2013 Portland. 10-16-2014 Detroit. 8-8-2018 Seattle. 8-10-2018 Seattle. 8-13-2018 Missoula.  5-10-2024 Portland.  5-30-2024 Seattle.
  • NewDamageNewDamage Posts: 1,913
    I haven't cared about videos in a really long time. But the ones I do catch now and again, just seems there is no more originality. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just don't watch enough...but I'd say the state of the video is parallel to the state of popular music today. Unoriginal, uncreative, uninspired
    I am lost, I'm no guide. But I'm by your side...

    8/25/92, 10/4/96, 10/5/96, 9/1/98, 9/4/98, 8/4/00, 8/6/00, 4/15/03, 4/16/03, 10/6/04, 6/16/08
  • reversedarwinismreversedarwinism Posts: 1,151
    I'd say so. They provide no gains for the artist in the modern market. Mtv is as responsible as anyone for this state, ironically. Bands should just go as cheap and live as possible for videos, IMO.
    bombs, dropping down, please forgive our hometown
  • Stone IronsStone Irons Posts: 430
    Who cares about MTV now. Just make a cheap but creative video and put it up on Youtube.
    Can't escape from the common rule...
    If you hate something, don't you do it too
  • PearlJamaholicPearlJamaholic Posts: 2,019
    mtv was always garbage when it came to music. i only watched mtv for the videos of the songs i heard on the radio. i remember hearing mansons sweet dreams and stayed up all night hoping mtv had the video. and when live released new songs for secret samadhi, once i knew they were played on the radio id try to catch them. not one music video turned me on to anything, if anything it turned me away from stuff. so even before 90's mtv was meaningless. the videos were just fluff.

    i could listen to the radio in my room or in the car, or take my radio to the garage, or whatever, to listen to music. with mtv i was stuck sitting in one room, starring at a screen. id rather be doing something and listen to music. like now, im sitting here typing while my cds are playing. i cant watch tv and write. nor i can i read and watch tv, or play video games, you get the idea.

    mtv sucks, always has, always will. except for beavis and butt-head but that wasnt about music.
    http://db.etree.org/PearlJamaholic
  • Thorns2010Thorns2010 Posts: 2,201
    Video killed the radio star.

    Well guess what?? MTV killed the video star!!!

    Although really MTV isn't to blame per say. I think a big reason MTV changed from ACTUALLY showing videos was that after a while there was no money to be made in just showing videos and expecting people to watch your channel.

    Henceforth the advertisers didn't want that, so MTV had to change to the SHIT shows that they show now.

    And what caused all this to change??? The internet, AKA Napster. Once people found out they could get the songs they wanted online for free, there was no reason to watch MTV so they could hear the songs they wanted to hear without having to pay for it.

    Yes the radio does the same thing, but with videos it was a little bit different, with actually getting a visual along with the song. So you got to see the 'sexiness' of the artist along with hearing the song.

    So yes we can all 'blame MTV' for not showing videos, but I honestly believe the real problem is the internet for giving people things for free.
  • YieldedYielded Posts: 839
    Music videos haven't been about the music for a long time.

    It's all about getting more naked chicks on screen than the previous video.
    "We get these pills to swallow... how they stick in your throat... Tastes like gold..."
  • KannKann Posts: 1,146
    I think today the quality of the video is closely tied with the director of the video. Some of them make really kickass videos. Check out some of the videos from Director's label, there are recent videos which are great.
    Among my favorite :
    Come to daddy - Aphex Twin (Chris Cunningham)
    Praise you - fatboy slim (Spike Jonze)
    Around the world - Daft Punk (Michel Gondry)
    Star Guitar - the chemical brothers (Michel Gondry)
    The last two are particularly cool.
  • reeferchiefreeferchief Posts: 3,569
    Kann wrote:
    I think today the quality of the video is closely tied with the director of the video. Some of them make really kickass videos. Check out some of the videos from [urlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directors_Label]Director's label[/url], there are recent videos which are great.
    Among my favorite :
    Come to daddy - Aphex Twin (Chris Cunningham)
    Praise you - fatboy slim (Spike Jonze)
    Around the world - Daft Punk (Michel Gondry)
    Star Guitar - the chemical brothers (Michel Gondry)
    The last two are particularly cool.

    Most of them if not all are at least 8 years old, hence proving the point of the op.
    Can not be arsed with life no more.
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    wheres your head at creeps me out big time. as does TOOLs prison sex.

    some videos are irrelevant and total pieces of crap. the latest kidrock anyone??? others are works of art.
    Kann wrote:
    Praise you - fatboy slim (Spike Jonze)

    i love this one. makes me get up and do stupid dances. :D
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • Hitch-HikerHitch-Hiker Posts: 2,873
    I grew up watching lots of awesome vieos on mtv. Way back in the 80s and 90s they used to serve as great companion pieces to the songsThen as MTV stopped showing videos, they did get worse. Now they are generally awful and it's a shame. But at least no-one sees them. The only mainstream band who still do good videos to my mind are Weezer.
    So yeah, I'd totally agree that music videos are irrelevant.
    I'll Ride The Wave Where It Takes Me
  • KannKann Posts: 1,146
    reeferchief wrote:
    Most of them if not all are at least 8 years old, hence proving the point of the op.
    True (with the exception of Star Guitar), however these are my favorites but there are plenty more on the Director's works which are worth seeing and are fairly recent. There's plenty of crap done in music videos but some directors do know their stuff and either make you do "stupid dances" or make you like a song you normally wouldn't (star guitar for me).
    catefrances wrote:
    i love this one. makes me get up and do stupid dances. :D
    That's what music should do :)
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    Kann wrote:
    That's what music should do :)

    so... do i think i can dance? nope... but it sure is fun on a saturday morning grooving in my jammies. :D
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • Hitch-HikerHitch-Hiker Posts: 2,873
    catefrances wrote:
    so... do i think i can dance? nope... but it sure is fun on a saturday morning grooving in my jammies. :D
    Damn straight!
    you can dance if you want to...and you can leave your friends behind........coz your friends don't dance, and if they don't dance well they're no friends of mine


    S...A...F...E...T...Y... DANCE!
    I'll Ride The Wave Where It Takes Me
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    Hitch-Hiker wrote:
    Damn straight!
    you can dance if you want to...and you can leave your friends behind........coz your friends don't dance, and if they don't dance well they're no friends of mine


    S...A...F...E...T...Y... DANCE!

    you can dance. you can dance... everybody look at their pants. :D

    oh i dont have any friends anyway. its all about me and zoe aged 9. shes my shadow and very very susceptible to influence. except that whole miley cyrus thing shes got going atm..i dont know where that came from . :D:D
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    I still like the Foo's videos.
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    keeponrockin wrote:
    I still like the Foo's videos.


    mm especially when one or more foos is dressed as a chick. im still waiting for shiflett to wear a dress. :D
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • tonadaxtonadax Posts: 594
    Videos are relevant for new young artists, then their fan base will decide about follow them or not. Recent videos i like:

    12:51
    all of chemical brothers
    Go with the flow
    Life wasted
    the kids aren't alright
    all of the foos
    freak on the leash
    fix you
    doesn't remind me
    all of the white stripes
  • Yellow LedbellyYellow Ledbelly Posts: 3,749
    In my opinion, videos are good/relevant only for Top 40 acts/teen pop. Videos have no relevance at all to me and really never have
    All I have to do is revel in the everyday....then do it again tomorrow

    They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong...I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all
  • Gold 26Gold 26 Posts: 676
    I haven't seen MTV or anything of that ilk for a long time. The majority of music videos are all the same.

    This one is one of the only good ones I've seen an a while. If a little simple.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_7xWNUqxxI
    All my favourite singers have stolen all of my best lines.
  • DjangoDjango Posts: 152
    Not if you only have MTV one.....coz they never show any
  • keeponrockinkeeponrockin Posts: 7,446
    Ok Go, Here It Goes Again is a GREAT video!
    Believe me, when I was growin up, I thought the worst thing you could turn out to be was normal, So I say freaks in the most complementary way. Here's a song by a fellow freak - E.V
  • Jack_C_GregoryJack_C_Gregory Posts: 540
    The music show Subterranean on Mtv 2 has some really interesting videos. (I don't watch it much though because most of the bands are shoe gazers)
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