Purpose of Music Videos

Promotion

One of the primary goals of a music video is to sell the artist, song and album. Artists usually come off as quite attractive in their music videos e.g. Katy Perry in her new video 'Roar'. She is shown to be very powerful which links to the video as she is alone in a jungle playing with wild animals. This is a way of grabbing the attention of many viewers. Another way of promotion is gaining audience empathy which increases the appeal of the artist, album and song. Having a good narrative is also a method of promotion as stories attract many people and therefore the viewer numbers may increase rapidly due to this. Also, having an abstract music video is a way of promotion as it causes word-of - mouth spread about the nature of the relationship between the song and the music video. 

Synergy

This is a form of promotion within music videos when companies pay the record label to advertise their products in their music videos. An example of this is in Ellie Gouldings song "Starry Eyed". In this song, the car brand 'Mini' has paid the record label producing this music video to advertise for them. 

Extension of incomes

Music videos usually help to promote the singer and cash in success for the company as well as the song. In addition to this, they help to advertise other products linked to the artist/band/singer. Music videos may also be sold on DVD or to other companies to be broadcasted. This helps the singer or artist in the song to get a percentage deal and money for the production company. Also, there would be repeat fees if the video was broadcast on TV. The music video extends the income of the singer as they would be paid for doing the video and from promotional duties and products through the use of synergy. Youtube is a major way of gaining more fans and extending incomes. This is because the songwriter gets $40 for every one million views on youtube. Justin Biebers song 'Baby' is an example of a song that has received many views on youtube and therefore proved to be extremely successful for the artist (Justin Bieber) and the songwriter.

Extension of outlets

Music videos can give the artist and the record label a chance to expand their potential audience. The music video enables the song to be accessed in many ways. Music video consumers may not really listen to music, in fact many people buy music videos purely because they like the video or the works of the video maker! Producers often produce different editions of a music video to expand their audience and to attract specif sections of their audience.  An example of this is the two different music videos of Ellie Goulding's song 'Starry Eyed'. Furthermore, music videos are able to connect to a wider audience than just audio. This is because they are able to spread easier due to youtube links being posted on social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Also, word-of-mouth is a way of expanding audience as people pass on their reviews through conversation. In addition to this, record labels sometimes make a video available to download for free for a short period which enables publicity and therefore expands audience.

Producer strategies

In order to make a successful, the video producer may use many techniques. For example, audience research may be carried out to inquire how to market it and the chances of it being successful.  A producer producing a music video may help to fund it as that would give them a chance to know and control which direction it's going in. The crew hired for the film would also know which strategy they are going for:

• The director would have a specific design that would affect the style of the video
• The producer would work closely with the band/artist to ensure they get what they want
• The band/artist may work as producers to ensure their video is made how they want

Date and location of release date may also affect its success and the way it is perceived. Producers may include product placement and popular cultural references to attract specific audiences.