We are growing up in a century where anything can go viral at the fingertips of world media, almost instantly. What a time to be alive!
When we think about our daily lives and the way we designate our time, dedicating it to various distractions during the day like social media, it's no wonder that this generation is so great at multi-tasking. Think about how many people you know that listen to music while doing, or even, with anything. From working out, walking to class, riding the bus, doing homework, studying, sleeping, cooking, showering, etc., listening to music is so easy to do, and most of the time if we can, we do it because it puts us in the right state of mind. Ultimately, the mood we want to be in--which us ladies know is not necessarily a good mood. I'm looking at you, Spotify sappy break-up music playlists.
Listening is easy, but what about music videos?
The music industry pours hundreds of thousands of dollars into the production of music videos, but are new music videos as relevant to us today as Michael Jackson's “Thriller", which Vevo.com has at over 232 million views, or NSYNC's “Bye Bye Bye" was to kids our age? Though they don't carry the same hype as when MTV was in it's prime, and was actually Music Television, music videos still effect their viewers and bring a different kind of appreciation to songs on a playlist.
Anyone in the industry, and any person who has ever formed an opinion about an artist, can support the claim that the image of an artist is almost as important as the music they produce, because their image is how artists form their fan base. What better way to make a quick visual assessment of an artist's performance than music videos? If an artist has a statement to make, music videos are their chance.
Here are some stats and facts about some of the most recognizable music videos of the past few years:
“Wrecking Ball" - Miley Cyrus - Maybe some would call this blasphemy, comparing “Wrecking Ball" to the genius behind “Thriller", but Miley Cyrus had a very bold statement to make, and she made it. If you haven't seen the video, whether you laughed, loved, or cried with post-Liam Miley, she used that video to make a clear statement to the world, and it was out with Hannah Montana, in with Miley-does-what-she-wants-Cyrus. How many wrecking ball Miley's did you see on Halloween? And how many of you added the wrecking-ball ornament to your Christmas tree? Bizarre? Maybe, but with over 772 MILLION views, according to Vevo.com, “Wrecking Ball" placed 9th on the all time most views list.
“Dark Horse", “Roar"- Katy Perry – She's a beautiful celebrity and artist that is constantly in the spot light, and ever since releasing one of her top hits “I Kissed A Girl", Katy Perry is also showy, like Cyrus and Gaga, with her own style and an artist that definitely puts on a show. Katy Perry really puts meaning to her songs in her music videos. You never know what to expect, but at numbers 2 and 3 on Vevo's all time most views list, Katy's audiences appreciate her fun performances, which come to life in her in-person shows.. SUPER BOWL ANYONE!? Roar is 3rd with over 881 MILLION views and Dark Horse is 2nd in overall views with over 903 MILLION views.
"Gangnam Style" - PSY - Talk about viral. Who knows how many parodies of this video/ song there are, but this is a prime example of how people use videos similarly in the past, like learning the dance to “Thriller". And even if it was just to learn the dance, most people have seen this video, or watched it because they were curious as to what was happening with pop-culture, even though I am still not 100% sure. But hey, did you see President Obama doing this one? Yeah, me too! Youtube has Gangnam style at over 2 billion views, but then again Gangnam Baby had about 60 million.
Even though they may serve new purposes, and with the evolution of technology, are just all around more available, the answer is, YES: music videos are still relevant!
Music Videos to check out this week:
Meghan Trainor - "All About That Bass"
