Back in 1981, the world witnessed the music scene go through a cultural revolution with the birth of MTV, starting the music video era. Fast forward to 2005, more changes came to the scene after the internet was introduced, which put pressure on music channels. Fast forward to 2005, YouTube appeared in the scene changing the industry as it was known, similar to how Netflix transformed the film and television industries. All of a sudden, a new era of visual storytelling began when people started watching music videos.

The scene evolved once again in 2016, due to the emergence of TikTok, another revolution could be seen as the app surpassed all other social networks in popularity. This is because the app could work for positive promotional opportunities. Music discovery was made more accessible to all generations by artists like Rosalía who utilized the platform’s marketing talents, even iconic bands like Pink Floyd embraced this new era.  Proving how the app transformed how we explore and enjoy music (Saavedra, 2022).

@rosalia

RЯ @rauwalejandro

♬ BESO – ROSALÍA & Rauw Alejandro

Ainhoa Marzol noted TikTok’s impact on video formats, creating a bit of an attention whirlwind. Yet, against the odds, TikTok emerged as a powerful promotional tool. Artists like Javier Carrasco (Betacam) weighed the investment against the benefits, acknowledging the process’s laborious nature but finding value in the exposure it brought.

Gina Arnold’s insights in Music/ Video: Histories, aesthetics, media, took us back to MTV’s domination in the ’80s. During this time, music promotion faced a shift due to digital distribution models, rendering traditional promotion obsolete. MTV responded by progressively disengaging from music, while live music’s commercial importance experienced a revival.

Today, TikTok still holds a strong social influence, as it transformed how new generations will interact with music videos. Overall, the journey from MTV to TikTok shows how the industry is constantly changing and adapting to new technologies.

By Olivia Camille Lynn

References:

Saavedra, D. (2022) TikTok is ending music videos as we knew them: ‘don’t strain yourself. do the bare minimum’, EL PAÍS English. Available at: https://english.elpais.com/culture/2022-06-09/tiktok-is-ending-music-videos-as-we-knew-them-dont-strain-yourself-do-the-bare-minimum.html (Accessed: 15 November 2023). 

Arnold, G. et al. (2017) ‘The Persistence of the Music Video Form from MTV to Twenty-First-Century Social Media’, in Music/ Video: Histories, aesthetics, media. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.