“We can begin to understand today’s music videos if we consider some of the aesthetic features that define YouTube: (1) pulse, repetition, and other forms of musicality; (2) non-reality and weightlessness (associated with low resolution and digital); (3) scale and graphic values; (4) anomalous causality; (5) variability and intertextuality; (6) humornd parody; (7) volatility and indentation; (8); the network of formal reproduction’ (Vernallis,2013)

In terms of the eight defined aesthetic characteristics of music videos on YouTube, it seems that the blows to the music industry in the past have been gradually reduced by the development of YouTube and that music videos are an integral part of its success, and it can be argued that music videos have found their own meaning and use in the YouTube era. As Edmond says, the music industry is beginning to re-imagine what music video is and what it can be used for. Once primarily considered a marketing tool, music videos are now seen as a simple act, not just an act. (Edmond, 2014)

In 2005, when video-sharing sites first emerged in the US, the music video industry was revived from its original period of decline and began to move in a positive direction. In terms of marketing models, with the resurgence of music videos in the YouTube era, there was a model of embedded advertising and brand partnerships, which this model developed as an opportunity for music producers to generate revenue and for brands to benefit from It is a mutually beneficial partnership and has created awareness of the impact and influence of music artists and music videos, take Lady Gaga’s nine and a half minute video ‘Telephone’ for example, which features 12 brands including Diet Coke, Virgin Mobile, Monster Heartbeats, etc. This nine-minute music video brought the brands to the attention of over 296 million people. This example is a strong demonstration of the viability of this model and shows us the range of good things that YouTube has done for music videos, allowing them to develop and innovate, while some would argue that while brands are so important, are music videos still as important as they used to be? In this case, I think that when an industry has the means to make a profit, then it is undoubtedly an important condition for future sustainability, when someone is making a profit, people are willing to spend more to invest in the industry and make more influential works, this is a virtuous circle, music videos are not just a profitable product, in the internet age, they are a mix and communication of art. It is not just a profitable product, but in the age of the internet, it is a work of art, which can of course have endless images, but this just goes to show how inclusive and diverse it is, and how people can continue to develop more innovative models in this virtuous circle. In conjunction with the aesthetic characteristics of music videos on YouTube mentioned in the first paragraph, we can see that music videos are constantly evolving and being created, that people do not stop in their pursuit of beauty just for the sake of profit, and that we will see more and more creative, artistic and diverse music videos.

Reference

Edmond, M. (2014). Here We Go Again: Music Videos after YouTube. Television & New Media, 15(4), 305–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476412465901

Vernallis, C. (2013). Unruly Media: YouTube, Music Video, and the New Digital Cinema. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199766994.001.0001

By Zhiqing Cao (ID:33722458) 1/12/2022