Music Videos - Are They Needed Anymore?

With the recent broadcast of the MTV Video Music Awards, the question/joke always comes up "Does MTV even play videos anymore?" Aside from an occasional spin (if you're lucky) on Headbanger's Ball on MTV2 or some half-hour show on Fuse TV, most videos wind-up on YouTube and the band's MySpace page. Even on shoe-string budgets, the filming & editing of a music video is yet another expense that the band (or record comapny) has to cover and in return, gets very little, if any, exposure. So here's the question...

In this day and age, are music videos for heavy metal bands really necessary anymore?

You just said it yourself, the music videos end up on Youtube. That's huge exposure for a band, as any fans will stumble upon it and can immediately show their friends. I'd say music videos were as necessary as they ever are. Whilst MTV doesn't really play them very much, on our digital TV services over here we have several channels dedicated to playing music videos exclusively. For rock / metal, we have Kerrang and Scuzz which sometimes even play some good songs. If it wasn't for Scuzz, I'dve not discovered quite a few bands.

So yeah, I'd still say they're a necessity.

Despite what my above post might imply, I haven't really formed an opinion one way or the other. I'm just throwing the question out there to get some discussion going. I see both sides of the issue. I understand that any bit of exposure is good for a band, but I also look at the expense and the quality of some of these videos and think "Was this really necessary?"

All MTV plays is hiphop and pop crap so no on that crap. But I for one would love to have a Euro metal music TV channel!

Wargod48

No they are not necessary other than Youtube there is no outlet for music videos, plus the novelty of music video wore out a long time ago, if they want to make a music video for youtube and some Europeon markets they should make them live clips since almost every singal band we mention on this board is known for being a live band and no need to have the expense of some silly video that has nothing to do with the song.

No

Are they necesary?

no

Are they enjoyed by fans?

I would have to say yes, I like a music video as long as it has the band in it

Music Television isn't needed anymore, but videos can be a big thing for bands still. They're definitely still a necessary part of marketing your band. Any band that thinks not is poor. Haha.

I was hoping someone would agree with me eventually. Good work, Eyesore.

Smindas wrote:

You just said it yourself, the music videos end up on Youtube. That's huge exposure for a band, as any fans will stumble upon it and can immediately show their friends. I'd say music videos were as necessary as they ever are.

I actually haven't thought of it like that, but you've got a great point.

Music videos on television are finished though. Onward with the internet!

I haven't watched a metal video on TV in years. MTV stopped being a source for new bands for me about 20 years ago.

I have stumbled across a few videos online that have persuaded me to pick up the CD (Nocturnal Rites was the last one), but given the cost of producing a video, I just don't think it's worth it for most bands.

Metal Misfit wrote:

Smindas wrote:

You just said it yourself, the music videos end up on Youtube. That's huge exposure for a band, as any fans will stumble upon it and can immediately show their friends. I'd say music videos were as necessary as they ever are.

I actually haven't thought of it like that, but you've got a great point.

Music videos on television are finished though. Onward with the internet!

In the US, the music video has been pointless for years. Outside of the 10 hip hop/dance pop videos they have on constant rotation, nothing else gets shown. I remember when Canada's MuchMusic got a channel here—it was great! They played killer videos, rock, metal, everything. It was a true music channel. Then MTV bought out the US rights, changed the name to Fuse, and changed the format to MTVs worthless format. Now it's a crap channel.

But overseas, like Smindas pointed out, there are some good video channels. I don't know that Scuzz channel, but when I lived in the UK I loved the Kerrang! channel. They gave every style equal airtime, and I discovered quite a few bands through that channel—The Music (via the "The People" video) and The Coral (via the "Skeleton Key" video) being two that distinctingly standout, having become two of my favorite bands. Not metal bands, of course, but I do love them!

When I was stationed in Italy, they had a cool music video channel, too. I discovered Guano Apes (via the "Lords of the Boards" video), another stupidly named but amazing band, through that channel.

So there's a perfect example of why they're still relevant. I can name the exact video that got me into those three bands. The US market is just crap, though. I am flat out amazed that a channel that trumpets itself as MUSIC television has nearly nothing to do with music. It's unreal.

Eyesore wrote:

Metal Misfit wrote:

Smindas wrote:

You just said it yourself, the music videos end up on Youtube. That's huge exposure for a band, as any fans will stumble upon it and can immediately show their friends. I'd say music videos were as necessary as they ever are.

I actually haven't thought of it like that, but you've got a great point.

Music videos on television are finished though. Onward with the internet!

In the US, the music video has been pointless for years. Outside of the 10 hip hop/dance pop videos they have on constant rotation, nothing else gets shown. I remember when Canada's MuchMusic got a channel here—it was great! They played killer videos, rock, metal, everything. It was a true music channel. Then MTV bought out the US rights, changed the name to Fuse, and changed the format to MTVs worthless format. Now it's a crap channel.

But overseas, like Smindas pointed out, there are some good video channels. I don't know that Scuzz channel, but when I lived in the UK I loved the Kerrang! channel. They gave every style equal airtime, and I discovered quite a few bands through that channel—The Music (via the "The People" video) and The Coral (via the "Skeleton Key" video) being two that distinctingly standout, having become two of my favorite bands. Not metal bands, of course, but I do love them!

When I was stationed in Italy, they had a cool music video channel, too. I discovered Guano Apes (via the "Lords of the Boards" video), another stupidly named but amazing band, through that channel.

So there's a perfect example of why they're still relevant. I can name the exact video that got me into those three bands. The US market is just crap, though. I am flat out amazed that a channel that trumpets itself as MUSIC television has nearly nothing to do with music. It's unreal.

nailed it on the head man, I especially agree with the last point.

I think getting your face in the popular paparazzi media makes more of an impact than a video these days. I really see the music video as a dinosaur to be honest. The full length DVD has kind of taken its place as the standard.

Eyesore wrote:

I remember when Canada's MuchMusic got a channel here—it was great! They played killer videos, rock, metal, everything. It was a true music channel. Then MTV bought out the US rights, changed the name to Fuse, and changed the format to MTVs worthless format. Now it's a crap channel.

Much has a sister station up here MuchMoreMusic which used to be killer too - it focussed on a lot of older music and would broadcast a bunch of bios, concert specials, documentaries as well as play a ton of classic videos (it also played modern adult contemporary, but that was easily avoidable ).

Now it's all new and syndicated reality television

tohostudios wrote:

I have stumbled across a few videos online that have persuaded me to pick up the CD (Nocturnal Rites was the last one), but given the cost of producing a video, I just don't think it's worth it for most bands.

That's another thing that certain bands don't get. Take Metallica's new video for instance. How much did that cost? My guess is at least a couple hundred thousand. At least.



That's a fan-made video by a bunch of kids. YouTube is full of fan-made videos. Most suck, but there are some frickin awesome videos on that site. And how much did it cost a kid? Next to nothing. Yet Metallica pays someone hundreds of thousands of dollars to film them in the desert, and then hire some d-rate actors to pretend they're fighting a war, belly-crawling around shrubbery native only to the deserts of California? Pffft!

Bands should utilize the great wealth that is their fans. The kids today are ridiculously talented when it comes to this stuff. Pay a kid $5,000 and he could make a video ten times better than one that some Hollywood turd would charge $250,000 for.

i never did care for music videos. they are all so cheesy.

Music tv is about as useful as most of MC's posts

mc666 wrote:

i never did care for music videos. they are all so cheesy.

Come on, it's becoming a game, right? You just do this because you want to stay in character, right? Besides Doro and her pet wrinkles, do you like anything?

Eyesore wrote:

mc666 wrote:

i never did care for music videos. they are all so cheesy.

Come on, it's becoming a game, right? You just do this because you want to stay in character, right? Besides Doro and her pet wrinkles, do you like anything?

seems like it would be more beneficial for you to concentrate on your little "personal stuff", rather than my likes & dislikes. this isn't eHarmony.

mc666 wrote:

Eyesore wrote:

mc666 wrote:

i never did care for music videos. they are all so cheesy.

Come on, it's becoming a game, right? You just do this because you want to stay in character, right? Besides Doro and her pet wrinkles, do you like anything?

seems like it would be more beneficial for you to concentrate on your little "personal stuff", rather than my likes & dislikes. this isn't eHarmony.

Grow the hell up, man. Else you can kiss my ass.

aww... someone needs a hug.

Sure, they can help a band get exposure.

mc666 wrote:

aww... someone needs a hug.

Sorry, personal jabs just aren't my thing. And you don't know Doro, so that's not personal.

Required Fields wrote:

Sure, they can help a band get exposure.

Elaborate.

For once.