What is the purpose of a music video

A music video is used to:

Promote the song, as a music video is another way of getting a song out there and into the eyes and ears of the public. This is something that cannot be applied to a particular music video because it is something that all music videos do.

Promote the artist, just like promoting the song,  a music video is another way of getting an artist and their work out there and into the eyes and ears of the public.

A good example of this is Gangnam Style by PSY. Before this video was released PSY was probably barely known out side of South Korea. But thanks to the unbelievable success of the music video for Gangnam Style on YouTube, which has now topped 1.7 billion views, PSY has become an international sensation!


Entertain the audience, this is when the video tells a story along side the song to keep the audience entertained so they don't switch off the music video even if they don't like the song.

A good example of this is Needing/Getting by OK Go. The video has no link to the video what so ever but it is enchanting in the way that it is fascinating to watch. This guaranties that the viewer is not going to switch it off.


Help with the songs narrative, this is where the on-screen visuals support the lyrics in the song by giving them a visual interpretation which give the viewer a better understanding of the song.

A good example of this is What I Go To School For by Busted. It features several links where the lyrics match the on screen visuals such as, "I dropped my pencil on the floor" and he drops his pencil on the floor.


Make an impression, the video invokes a reaction that plants the song in your mind as the videos so memorable.

An example of this is Rock DJ by Robbie Williams's which features Robbie stripping down to beyond the bare flesh... Thanks to award-winning special effects. The image of Robbie Williams tearing off his own flesh left a stamp on the minds of many. So much so in the Dominican Republic that the National Commission of Broadcasting and Radio banned the video, accusing it of being Satanic!