Assignment Task 29.1 - Purposes of Music Video

Introduction
The purpose of music video is to get across a message to the target audience, which is to entertain. The vital purpose of music videos is to promote artist, record labels and brands, but it's mainly to promote the song. A music video is basically a short film involving a song and imagery and is produced for more or less promotional or artistic purposes.


Promotion of a particular song

Drake - Hotline Bling

Drake's Hotline Bling is a good example a music video whose purpose is to promote a particular song. The single Hotline Bling was released under the major label Cash Money Records.

It represents this purpose because of the memorable parts of the video that the song will be remembered for such as the ridiculous dance moves of Drake, which is shown within this medium shot. This generated a great deal of discussion/news coverage. Many memes (parodies) were made about the dancing in the video making fun of Drake. At first, this angered Drake, but then he came to accept the comments on his dancing in the video because he saw that this would generate more popularity for the song and gain more sales, which it did. The video implements numerous close ups, medium shots and long shots to highlight Drake's body movements and facial expressions, clearly making Drake's dancing the centre of attention throughout the video since often there is nothing else in shot but Drake.

Drake uses a plain background and then makes uses of colour changes to represent emotion. For example, the use of blue in the background represents a cold and sad atmosphere when he sings certain parts of the song, while a bright, warm atmosphere is shown by the use of pink or purple to complement happier parts of the song, like this particular shot for example. The use of emotion combined with dance emphasises a different side to Drake which fans do not normally see from him because he is typically portrayed as a rapper. This new image in Hotline Bling also creates more news around him and therefore creates more publicity for him as well as for the song.

At the beginning of the video, it fades into this scenario, which is being shown in this shot. Where there are numerous good-looking women in similar outfits working at a call centre. This scenario can again be referred back to the song's title because 'Hotline Bling' is about how a particular girl/woman used to continuously call his phone and the scenario at the beginning of video highlights that it is possibly something like a call centre as they also involve calling people continuously throughout the day.

Promotion of the artist's album

Skepta - Man

The music video, Skepta - Man,  represents the promotion of the artist's album as its purpose. This is because it suggests the theme of the album, Konnichwa, throughout and shows the album cover image various times in the video.

Joseph Junior Adenuga, also known as Skepta, grew up in Tottenham, North London. He is an English grime artist, producer and is a songwriter and has independently worked his way to becoming a successful internationally known artist and has been associated with many overseas artists such as Drake, Pharrell Williams and ASAP Nast. He created his own label, Boy Better Know, in 2005 alongside his brother Jme (who is also an associated grime artist to Skepta). His most recent album, Konnichwa, was released in March 2016; it was grime's highest charting album hitting the peak of number 2 in the UK charts.

The Song Man by Skepta is featured on the album and the music video contains documented texts in Russian throughout. It also refers back to the title of the album 'Konnichwa' which is a Japanese word meaning hello. In my opinion, Skepta is trying to express different languages as part of the theme of his album, meaning the Russian documented texts throughout the video have some sort of relevance back to the album.

As well as the promotion of the album is shown highly by an image of Skepta's own postage stamp which is on the cover of the Konnichwa album. This image is seen continuously throughout the video with Skepta's crew putting it on various women's bottoms, on cars and walls. The repetitive use of this image throughout the video will help gain recognition for the album in the hope that the image has a memorable effect on fans. This is the main source of promotion of the album .

Promotion of a particular artist
Vybz kartel ft Popcaan & Vanessa bling - Clarkes

This video promotes the artist Popcaan. At the time that this music video was put out, Popcaan was not a very popular artist and was new to the dancehall genre whereas Vybz Kartel was a bigger artist and far more familiar on the dancehall scene than Popcaan. The success of this music video meant that Popcaan gained a lot more recognition because of his collaboration with Vybz Kartel. In addition, various close up camera shots are used within the video with Popcaan in front and Vybz Kartel in the background. By having Popcaan in the same shot as Vybz Kartel, this implies that Popcaan is equal status to Vybz Kartel or roughly the same importance, which also increases the promotion of the artist.


Popcaan then went on to develop a larger fan base through his own songs such as, 'Only man she want', 'Unruly rave' and 'Rup Rup (bad inna real life)'. He then caught the attention of the hip-hop artist Drake which subsequently developed into a friendship and some of Popcaan's samples are now featured on various Drake tracks such as, 'Know Yourself', 'Too good' and more. Drake's OVO sound and Popcaan's Unruly Gang have also forged a bond and have merchandise together; however they still remain separate entities musically.




Increasing income for the record company

Meek Mill ft Rick Ross - Ima Boss 

Meek Mill's, Ima Boss, is a good example of a music video whose purpose is to increase the income of the record company through the continuous image of the Maybach Music Group (which is the record label being promoted here) which is shown in some way in numerous scenes in the music video. This is represented through its merchandise, its familiar sample sound and even through the artists of Maybach Music Group themselves.

Maybach Music Group, which can be abbreviated as MMG, is a record label which was founded by Rick Ross in 2009 and its parent company is Warner Music Group. MMG's roster of artists includes Wale, Omarion, Stalley and Meek Mill.

The beginning of the video shows the text 'the untouchable Maybach empire presents' along with the recognizable ad lib for Maybach Music Group. This will mean that people will notice the video as a Maybach Music Group production and therefore means that the success of this music video will straight away become a representation of the record label which increases the establishment of the record label's work  In addition, it possibly increases the record label's fan base leading, for example, to fans buying more of their music, which will eventually mean an increase in the record company's income.

As the video continues, there are many examples of Maybach Music Group's (MMG's) merchandise shown through medium camera shots, for example, hats, t-shirts, chains and other merchandise worn by Meek Mill (which you can see from the screenshot), Rick Ross and other people who are in the video.  The aim is to further encourage viewers to go and buy this merchandise which will then bring in more income to MMG. The editing is cut quite fast and the pace of the cutting through the scenes slows down when there is a clear image of Meek Mill wearing some of the record label's merchandise so the viewers can get a clear visual of it. This is tied in with the music in the hope that if viewers like their music they may also go and purchase the merchandise of the record label. Viewers may also idolize what they see in the video and therefore choose to buy merchandise because Meek Mill is wearing it, for example.


At the time of making this music video, Meek Mill was not a very popular artist and featuring Rick Ross in the music video helped to promote Meek Mill because Meek Mill gained some recognition from the status of Rick Ross as he was endorsed in the video.



Promotion of and synergy with another media product

Demi Lovato - Let it go

The song Let it go by Demi Lovato is associated with the Walt Disney film, Frozen. The music video for this song promotes the film and therefore represents the purpose, promotion of and synergy with another media product. The song was composed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez. The song was then performed in its original version in the film by the American actress and singer, Idina Menzel.

This screenshot shows the music video is set in a empty mansion which looks like a castle with just the artist in scene and just from the setting of the video, it can be suggested that the film, Frozen, which is associated with the song has had some influence on the video because the main character in the film, who is called Queen Elsa, is royalty and is from a kingdom where she lives in a castle. The colours used within the video are cold colours such as blue; this can also be referred back to the film because it is based in a cold climate so the film's setting is characterised by nothing but cold colours.



The artist, Demi Lovato, wears long formal dresses throughout the video which also implies a representation of the image of the character, Queen Elsa, from Frozen because she wears similar costumes within the film, so Demi Lovato wears these outfits to try to copy the character's image. It shows both Queen Elsa & Demi lovato in these dresses below.


The main aspect of the video which ties the song in with Frozen are the various short scenes where Queen Elsa/Idina Menzel perform the song in the film which have been incorporated within the music video. These short clips are heavily promoting the film because it means viewers will be able to see parts of the animated film that may encourage them to go and watch the full film, which will therefore increase the box office numbers for Frozen.


Increasing the range of media in which the artist is active

Stromae - Tous Les Mêmes

Stromae is a musician, singer, rapper and songwriter from Belgium who originates from Laeken in Brussels. Stromae only performs his music in French. He chooses to perform his music in French only because he believes that his music will lose its meaning and that the quality of his music may decline if sung in English. He first gained publicity through his single 'Alors on danse' and since then he has garnered more and more attention through songs such as 'Papaoutai'. He is also signed to the label Vertigo Records, which is a part of Mercury Records France (a Universal music group).

Stromae likes to express himself in his music videos in a creative and imaginative way so in the music video for 'Tous Les Mêmes' he brings out his acting skills by playing a woman and a man at the same time. The french phrase 'tous les memes' translates as 'all the same', which refers to the theme of the music video which is that boys and girls share many similarities even though they are different genders. Stromae chooses to express the song's main point through his display of acting. This shows the different media that the artist is active in as a actor and his creativity as an artist which therefore also promotes the artist. The medium shot below helps show Stromae active in his acting role of half man, half woman.


In addition, the contrast between Stromae as a man and as a woman also brings a humorous side to the video because to see the artist posing as a female is unusual.

This shot shows the choreographed dance performance which Stromae is involved in towards the end of the song. This further reveals the various types of media that the artist is active in since it shows that Stromae is talented in several areas: dance, acting and musically. Stromae expresses the meaning of his song by the use of dance, where he performs alongside numerous other dancers who are dressed as half woman, half man just as he is which relates to the song's meaning i.e. all the same. The dancers are synchronized with the dance moves of the artist which also refers back to the meaning of the song - all the same. This is because the dancers who are of different genders are a mirror image of Stromae which the artist uses to get the theme of his song across.


Conclusion

To conclude, the purpose of a music video is what helps to set the basis for what the video will involve and what needs to be done to achieve its particular aim. Also, the purpose becomes the hidden message which the video is trying to get across to its viewers in the hope that viewers will act upon the particular purpose to lead to more income in that area.