Music videos have always been an exciting, integral facet of a release. They're an opportunity for an artist & director to showcase their creative flair & versatility, working from the ground up to compose a visual accompaniment that would ultimately complement their song's musical fingerprint with perfect cohesion. In this space, directors such as Hype Williams (LL Cool J, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Beyonce & more) were revered as equal visionaries to the artists that they worked with, and rich, longform video content was appreciated foremostly.
In the last few years, however, provoked by dominant platforms such as TikTok, the longform experience has given way to a more indolent viewing preference, and shorter, more snackable content has taken centre stage. 3 minute masterpieces have been replaced by 10-second ones, and the industry is already affording less budget & priority to traditional music videos.
So, does this mean that music videos are dying? Well, given that the last few years have seen some of the most innovative entries yet, we'd argue not. Consider examples from the last 2 years such as Central Cee's 'Doja' (Cole Bennett), or AntsLive's 'Number One Candidate' (Tom Emmerson), both tipping the hat to the traditional yet offering an innovative flavor that exuberates modernity & explores a new corner of the space.
The modern music scene has even birthed a new generation of directors & creatives, spearheaded by Lyrical Lemonade & Cole Bennett, who boast an extensive résumé of A-list clients from Jack Harlow to Jack Black. While no two Lyrical Lemonade videos are the same, Bennett puts a uniquely recognizable note on everything he creates, identifiable by playful visuals & experimental themes that are driven entirely by creative instinct.
Perhaps, there's some weight to the argument that a traditional music video counts less towards a record's success, and that snackable promotion such as TikTok content is squeezing further and further into the pie chart. But music videos aren't unimportant, they've migrated into a different pocket of the space which demands more artistry, lateral thinking and individuality than ever before. How exciting is that?!
So, to conclude, music videos aren't dying, they're just moving to a different room in the house. At MatchTune, we understand the important of a cohesive music-to-video pairing, and that's why we've developed a number of AI-powered tools to assist creators in the process of making beautiful content. Click here to learn more.