Purpose of a Music Video in the Digital Age

The main point of a Music Video is to sell products and advertise a brand. However, the other connected products are also marketed by a music video.

For example, the album the song is featured on, the film the song is a part of, an upcoming tour that the artist/band are going to perform, artist/band merchandise such as T-shirts. However, music videos are an unusual form of marketing as they allow the audience full access to the product they are selling. When a music products are advertising, for example, a brand of coffee or an item of clothing, the advert suggests the product is desirable but the audience does not get to taste the coffee or wear the clothes.

Prior to the digital age, allowing the audience full access to the product in the marketing was too problematic. The song was only available at specified times in places which were approved of by the record company, such as on weekly  television chart countdown shows like Top of the Pops.

Videos could be uploaded to video hosting sites like YouTube and viewed using portable media devices such as mobile phones and apple devices, allowing audiences to see the video and hear the song  whenever and wherever they liked.

The advent of such technologies proved to be problematic for the music industry as audiences were less inclined to buy a physical copy of a song if they could listen to it online for free.

As a result, most record companies now allow their artists' music videos to be online but under controlled conditions.

Similarly, MTV networks and Warner Music Group have allowed American Internet users to access music videos via the MTV site.