Every time I go to the gym and happen to catch a glimpse of the endless cycles of music videos playing on the TVs dotted around the place… I have to wonder exactly what happened to the art of the music video.
Here's one I saw today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCsMwgXy6vU
And it's far from the only one I've seen like this. It seems a common approach for music videos — or perhaps more specifically, music videos for electronic dance music acts — is to put out something that looks like the first piece of coursework from someone who is just getting their head around motion graphics and animated typography for the first time.
I mean, I guess there might be a certain value to this type of video in that it encourages people to sing along… but then you have the paradox that not a lot of electronic dance music is particularly designed for singing along to. That and the fact that in the circumstances where it might be desirable to get people singing along — like, say, in a club — the video probably won't be playing anyway. (Or will it? I think it's literally been a good 15 years since I've been inside a nightclub. And I mean that; it has been a good 15 years.)
It's just a bit sad, though, really; I have a hard time not thinking of songs with lyrics as having a "story" of sorts, and seeing the creative potential for providing a visual depiction of or accompaniment to that story going to waste in favour of a simple karaoke video is a bit disappointing, especially when I consider some of the amazing music videos I grew up with.
But, well, I guess it's just one of many ways that the media landscape has changed considerably over the years. I salute you, artsy fartsy music video; you will be missed.
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