However its not just the mainstream that uses YouTube to get their stuff out there, the hip hop underground uses YouTube maybe more than any other sub-genre in music to get their stuff out there. While making professional looking videos are expensive, in the long run it is so much easier to distribute your product through a YouTube account. Someone like Joey Bada$$ can use this as a way to get his music to fans for free while still getting a benefit out of it through the views and the links to his album.
An artist like Macklemore is a good example of someone who has used YouTube and the video medium to both "make it big" and express himself artistically. The success of a song like "Thrift Shop" is predicated on the video and even though its become a radio song the aesthetic of the clothes and the props in that video is what resinates with people.
And yet he and his producer Ryan Lewis also use videos to add extra weight to their lesser known works. A song like "Otherside" has a very dark, dreary, and frankly Seattle look to it that adds to the mood of depression and drowning from drug abuse and the effects of drug overdose. A song like "Wing$" is another one that's meaning is deepened when you watch the video as it makes the people and the theme of the song more relatable.
Wether it be a mainstream artist using big booties and flashy cars to attract someone to a video or an underground rapper using it to get his stuff out or a creative mind who uses it to strengthen the song's tone with a certain aesthetic, videos have become a huge part of hip hop.
I thought this post was really interesting. I think YouTube has impacted the music industry tremendously. I know that personally, whenever I am looking for a song I go directly to YouTube. YouTube has made the careers for a lot of artists possible in all genres and music videos allow the listener to connect with the music on a level just beyond the sound.
ReplyDeleteNice post, it definitely makes sense. Whether it be mainstream or underground rap, the one thing they have in common is the use of video productions to enhance and promote their material. Just like Andrew, I go straight to YouTube whenever I'm looking for a song and most definitely if it's a new song, so I can see if it has a video. For God sakes, Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube, anything is possible...
ReplyDeleteVideos do play a large role in hip hop and the perception of an artists music. Videos can help enhance the sales of albums in my opinion because it is a marketing strategy. When people like a music video and like a song, I think it will persuade them to buy the album. Music videos are another platform for artist to display their music. I think it is important to make music videos because it allows for creativity and they are just fun to watch. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteContrary to 'video killed the radio star' I believe some music videos have the power to create a radio star! It's an accessible way to hear their music and visualizing the lyrics adds another dynamic to the song. This was a good post because it addressed the topics from lots of different angles, well done!
ReplyDeleteIt's true videos help artist's work become recognized easier by the public. It's not only true for artists like Macklemore, but also for Justin Bieber and PSY.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post. You brought up a point that videos can either be for show or to add deeper meaning to a song. The ones that are made just for show end up being mandated by record companies to increase the sale of the upcoming records while the ones to add deeper meaning help the song stick with you by giving you a mental image of everything that is being talked about
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your post YouTube has helped many artists gain the success they have and it has also helped me find out about many different artists, with the suggested videos part. I also think that by having a music video it better helps us see what point the artist was trying to get across!
ReplyDeleteIt seems like youtube is now helping unknown artists out there to become mainstream. It cost nothing to post a video on youtube and for people to access the videos has become so easy. on a side note, after watching the Macklemore videos I must say he's a good artist and i might start listening to his music. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree, music videos have become a major component in the music industry. A lot of artists were even discovered on You Tube.
ReplyDeleteNice Post! Even though I hardly ever watch music videos anymore, a lot of people still do.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I'm not much of a music video watcher, but I know that they can be a vital part of making or breaking an artist and can also further the purpose and meaning in a song.
ReplyDeleteYouTube has been a successful medium for rappers just getting themselves situated into the game. Rappers like Soulja Boy, who accompanied his catchy song "Crank That" with a simplistic choreography gained vast recognition and before you know it people were "cranking that" at bar-mitzvahs. YouTube is definitely responsible for several artists come-ups
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