Do Music Videos Still Matter In 2023?

What’s the role of a music video today? In the 1980s, music videos flipped the industry thanks to MTV. Videos helped artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna become cultural icons. Record labels spent millions on music videos to promote their CD sales. Everyone was winning.

Music videos don’t hold the same power today in the streaming era. The budgets are smaller, but they still get made.

To break it all down, I was joined by MIDiA Research analyst Tati Cirisano. Here’s what we covered:

0:00 What is the role of a music video today?
3:25 MTV’s role in music videos
7:28 Comparisons to TikTok
11:00 Music video budgets peaked in mid-90s
13:38 Napster changed everything
15:24 Music videos as career launchpads
18:07 YouTube revitalizes music videos
25:00 Range of video budgets
30:55 Big dollars going to documentaries and short films
34:07 Rise of lyric videos
39:46 Does YouTube have a music video formula?
43:31 Measuring ROI of music videos in 2023

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