How Audiences Consume Music Videos

It is important for audience to be able to access music video because the purpose of a music video is  to promote a single from a artist or band. Over time music videos have become more accessible through the advancement of technology and media. Audiences are now able to download as well as stream music videos straight to their electronic devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops to watch at their own demand. There are three main platforms that allow audiences to consume music videos, these are; 

The Internet 

TV Stations 

 media players such as iTunes. 

The Internet 

The internet is an extremely useful tool, which can be used for multiple different things. People are able to search for key words or phrases, using search engines such as Google, Bing and Ask. This has allowed audiences to keep up to date with information about their favourite bands and artists, as well as view all of their music video which are published online to site such as, YouTube and Vimeo. Audiences can also access social media sites, via the internet and share links to their favourite music videos on these sites. This will increase awareness of specific videos and will help to promote the band or artist further. Before the internet it was much harder for audiences in different countries to access music videos by their favourite artists/bands because the videos were often only released in one or two countries and would only be played on the tv. 

Before YouTube was launched in 2005, there were no other websites which we dedicated to showing/publishing music video online for free. In 2006 Google, brought YouTube off of its creators Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim for $1.65 billion. This was clearly a good investment for Google because YouTube is now on of the most viewed/visited websites on the internet. YouTube is now the biggest website for audience consumption of music videos. 

TV Stations

There are now TV stations/channels, such as 4Music and MTV which focuses on playing current and old music videos. These channels primarily target teenagers and young adults. In addition to playing/showing music video they also consists of reality TV shows and scripted series in order to attract a wider audience. Some music channels such as MTV have created separate channels dedicated to different genres of music, in order to make it easier for audiences to access the type of music and artists/bands that they are interested in. Some radio stations, such as Kerrang! have also created TV channels, to work in conjunction with the music being played on air. Audiences can instead listen to the radio on there TV and see the supporting music videos for the songs that the DJs are playing. 

Media Players

Audiences are now able to download and stream music videos onto their electronic devices via media player such as iTunes. The iTunes store has most music videos from different genres ready for audiences to purchase for an affordable price. This was of downloading and streaming creates money for the company selling the video as well as for the artist or band who's video is being sold. This way of accessing music videos is being more and more popular because it allows the audience to access the music video on demand, whenever and wherever they are. 

However, piracy is a common thing that affects the success of a music video. It has more of a negative affect on artists/bands who have a smaller niche audience rather than those with a large wide audience. One site that is responsible for piracy and illegal downloads of music videos is ‘Pirate Bay’. The founders of the website were charged in Sweden for showing material that was illegally downloaded and copy righted. Piracy doesn't benefit the artist/band or the producers at all because it means that they make less money for their content/material. Despite this it is a popular way that audiences use to access music videos because it is free and allows them to download/stream them to their devices anywhere at any time. 

The History Of Music Videos

How Are Music Videos Made?

How Are Music Videos Made from Kiera King

Music Video Analysis - Taylor Swift, 'Blank Space'

'Blank Space' s a single taken from Taylor Swift’s fifth album, ‘1989’. The music video was published on November 10th 2014 and was directed by Joseph Kahn who has also directed her music video for her singles ‘Out of the Woods’, ‘Bad Blood’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’ all of which are from her ‘1989’ album. In 2015, the video was nominated for 2 VMA’s at the MTV Video Music Awards; Best Pop Video and Best Female Video - it won both of its nominations. 

The lyrics within the song mock the media’s perception of Taylor and her relationships. Taylor also wanted to portray this within the music video for the song. Therefore the video is a self-parody of what the media portray her as and what some people think of her; crazy ex girlfriend and man-eater. The music videos narrative shows Taylor living a life of luxury, almost as if she is in a fairy tale with the man or her dreams. They are both infatuated with one another until she becomes obsessed with him, which causes him to get bored. This turns her crazy and then things start to go wrong. 
 Parts of the music video are illustrative because as she sings a lyric the appropriate visual is shown to the audience for example when she sings ‘look at the face’ and then there is a closeup on the male characters (Sean O’Pry) face.  The video shows both sides of her personality in a relationship that the media portrays; the sweet, innocent romantic which his represented by the couple having dinner and then the crazy, insane side which is shown by her chopping up the male characters clothes as well as the scene where she is having a break down with mascara running down her face. Throughout the music video the mise en scene connotes the idea of it being like a fairytale through the use of multiple expensive looking ballgowns and dresses, the mansion and large estate as well as the use of a red apple. This shows how she is trying to make it seem unrealistic which then makes her media perception also seem unrealistic. 

The music video is a hybrid of both narrative and performance. There is an equal balance between the two because she lip-syncs to specific parts of the song whilst the narrative is occurring. Sometimes she addresses the audience with her singing by looking directly into the camera, however sometimes she address the male characters by looking at him when she sings, like when they are arguing. This also makes the balance between narrative and performance appear more equal. When she is lip-syncing she generally exaggerates her facial expressions this is to make her seem overdramatic and reinforce the idea of her being a crazy girlfriend. 

The 2 main locations used within this music video are inside the mansion and then the mansion grounds. However each scene inside the mansion shows a different room, this shows how big the mansion is which connotes the idea of wealth, power and status. The exterior shots are also all different which shows how much land she actually owns which once again connotes the idea of wealth, power and status. Taylor is very prominent and dominate within the frame at all times during the music video, this adds to the idea of her powerful status. A variety of wide angle shots of the exterior add to the drama of the narrative and performance. There are also lost on contrasting close ups to make it feel more personal to the audience and allow them to see dramatic facial experiences clearly. The use of many close up shots reinforce Taylor's image/brand and makes her the focus of the music video.

There are multiple different costumes/outfits throughout this music video, all of which connote wealth. Taylor makes 21 different outfit changes in the video this shows her lavish and luxurious lifestyle. In a lot of the scenes Taylor is shown wearing red lipstick, which is part of her signature look; this shows that she is reinforcing her star image throughout the video even thought its a self parody.  The male character within the music video is also shown wearing smart clothing such as suits and waistcoats which connotes the idea that he also has a lavish style and is wealthy.  In one part of the music video the man is shown wearing a tuxedo and is running after Taylor who is wearing a nude coloured ball gown. This shows how he is infatuated with her and wants to be in her company. This shot has been put in slow motion to make it seem more dramatic, it suggests that when they are in each others company they feel like everything just slows down because they are so at peace with one another. However this changes towards the end of the video because Taylor ends up being the one chasing him and he just gives up completely with their relationship; this is shown by him laying on the ground, next to his beaten car with her on top of him. 

In addition to the many closeups used in this music video, there are also a number of other different camera shots and movements; this helps to make the video more interesting. Various long shots are used to help establish locations within the music video. There is a particular shot, where Taylor is shown standing on a white horse. The framing is completely symmetrical which places her in the centre of the frame drawing all of the attention to her standing on the horse. The framing and the fact she is standing on a horse shows her authority and power over it; this could be somewhat reflective of her relationships with men. An arc shot is used to move around the couple who are surrounded by greenery. The arc shot suggests that the pair are so focused on each other that they aren't paying any attention to the world around them; this shows how they a both infatuated. There is also an over shoulder shot, which shows Taylor looking down on her partner. This shot could be interpreted as something similar to Romeo and Juliet. However it could also suggest that she has power over him at this stage in their relationship. In this shot Taylor is shown wearing a white dress, in comparison to the male character wearing a black suit this could be representing the idea that the couples are opposites which might cause their relationship to break down.










The ending sequence for the music video is very similar to the opening sequence of the music video. The camera show a new man in a red car entering Taylor’s estate. This shows the audience that its a repetitive cycle with her relationships; as soon as one ends another one begins. The shot shows that this is a reoccurring thing by using the same camera angle and location as the first shot of the music video.

Music Video Analysis - The 1975, 'Robbers'

'Robbers' is a single taken from The 1975’s, self titled debut album. The music video for this single was published on April 27th 2014 and was directed by Tim Mattia who also directed the band’s music video for their single ‘The City’ also taken from their debut album as well as the music video for their single ‘A Change of Heart’ which is taken from their second album 'I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it' which was released earlier this year. The song itself as well as the music video were heavily inspired by the film True Romance which was released in 1993 and starred Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette. Therefore there are some intextual references to True Romance within the music video by the use of similar locations/settings and costumes. 

The song is about a toxic relationship; two lovers who aren't good for each other. However they are so in love that they don't realise the damage and destruction that they cause one another. The title of the song refers to how the lovers are ‘robbing’ each other of happiness. The music videos narrative portrays the relationship of the two lovers in the lyrics, played by the lead singer of the band, Matty Healy and a model, Chelsea Schuchman. The video follows them around different settings and locations which eventually leads to them robbing a convenience store which goes terribly wrong. The video features a vast amount of alcohol and drugs throughout, this contrasts with the typical ‘love story’ narrative within the music video. The alcohol and drugs can be seen as a symbol for the toxic relationship which is referred to in the lyrics of the song. It is then assumed that the reason they are robbing the convenience store is so that they can continue to fund their alcohol and drug addiction; showing how they are blind to the fact this is causing their toxic relationship. 










This music video is a hybrid of both narrative and performance. Whilst the majority of the video is narrative, there are scenes within it which shows the lead singer, performing the song to his lover within the video; almost as if he is serenading her.  A reddish/rose coloured filter/tint has been used over the performance parts of him signing to her within the music video. These colours have connotations of romance and love, this suggests that the coloured filter/tint has been used to show how in love the couple are and reinforce the sense of intimacy which is created by how close he is to her during some parts of his performance.

Throughout the music video many locations and settings are used, such as empty streets, the house the couple live, a diner/restaurant, an abandoned house, a cinema, a skate park and the convince store.  The frequent change of location and scene could represent the changing stages within their  relationship. All of these locations are also quite conventional of the indie rock genre because they are public locations which would be relatively cheap to hire and are easily assessable for filming. This shows how they are sticking to/ following the  conventions of their genre within their music videos. The opening scene for the music video shows the couple walking through an empty street, whilst singing, dancing and clearly enjoying themselves and each others company. This shows the positive and happy side of their relationship. However in the scenes with the more ‘run down’ locations/settings the couple are shown arguing and being hostile towards each other; this shows how the location is somewhat reflective of the state of their relationship. The mise en scene helps to connote the idea of rebellion. This is done by the use of props such as the gun, the drugs and alcohol in the particular locations/settings. There are scenes which show the couple taking drugs, in public places such as the cinema, drugs are illegal and the fact that they are doing them in public shows that they don't really care which connotes rebellion. The couple being in an abandoned house also connotes the idea of rebellion because the audience doesn't think that they should be in this location and also thinks that they have possibly broken in.

The mise en scene in the music video, shows many different outfits and costumes. They are all relatively casual which shows how the music video is meant to be true/accurate reflection of real life and relationships. The lead singer wears clothing that he would typically wear such as black ripped skinny jeans, leather jackets and shirts. This is also done to reflect the lead singers star image and follow indie rock conventions of being individual and alternative. The female character within the video wears a combination clothing that is somewhat revealing as well as clothing that isn’t. For example in some scenes she wears a crop top and shorts but then in another she wears a coat and jeans. There is also some nudity within the music video as there are short clips showing a sex scene between the two lovers. This gives the music video sex appeal to different genders which will potentially attract a wider audience.

There are a variety of shots used throughout this music video which helps to make it more interesting. There are a lot of closeups used on both the main characters within the music video, this helps to show the audience their reactions and emtions to specific events in the music video. For example when Matty points the gun at the girls head; the closeups let the audience see how she annoyed at this action and can she her mouth ‘that isn't funny’ which might not have been noticeable if a closeup wasn't used. Closeup shots are also used frequently throughout his performance of the song to her, this reinforces the sense of intimacy which was created during those scenes. Long shots and mid shots are used every time the setting changes in order to help establish a sense of location and show how different the locations are from one another. A close is used on the female character and then it quickly turns into an arc shot which reveals the male character walking up to her and pulling her closer to him and then continues to move around the couple. This allows the audience to see more of the location and see the woman reaction to help pulling her close. Tracking shots are also used with the music video to follow the characters as the move, this allows the audience to follow the action.

At the beginning of the music video it starts of with a black screen and then fades into the footage of the couple. This along side the fact that the beginning of the song is purely instrumental and the muted colours within the opening scene, creates a dream like feel for introduction/beginning of the video. It reinforces how the couple are happy at that moment in time but because it is only ‘like a dream’ and therefore this feeling wont last forever.  

Music Video Analysis - Peace, ‘Lost on Me’

‘Lost on Me’ is a single taken from Peaces second album, ‘Happy People’. The music video was released on August 10th 2014 and was directed by Ninian Doff who also directed the band's music video for their single ‘Money’ released earlier the same year. The music video was nominated for the NME Aware for Best Music Video in 2015 however did not win. 

The mise en scene in the music video, show the band wearing completely white outfits and the lead singer (Harry Koisser) has a red/orange shaggy hair style. The video follows the group conducting a dance routine in a studio; they are being told what to do by a man holding up cards with directions/instructions on them. There is then an accident within the studio and the band continue the routine out onto the street. They cross a road and barely avoid being hit by the passing vehicles, they interrupt a family having a picnic and then fall into a deep muddy hole. Whilst this is occurring the man is running after them with the final card telling them to stop, however when they fall into the hole it is too late. The band are representing their-self as smart, irreverent and alternative to mainstream manufactured pop within this music video by making it almost making it like a parody of how boybands are constructed. 

The music video uses contradiction/disjuncture because the video ignores the lyrics and the genre of the song and looks at a different idea.  The video seems to be making fun of boybands and suggesting that members of a boyband only know what to do when they are told when and how to do it; this is shown by the fact that they continue to do the dance stated on the card when the man holding it isn't paying attention. The video also suggests that they are mocking people who refer to their group as a mainstream boyband by following ‘typical’ boyband choreography. The music video consists of elements that are commonly found in music videos for pop boybands. For example the quick shots in the opening sequence, as well as the carefully choreographed dance routine and the clean white clothes, which are similar to the shots in the opening sequence to the Backstreet Boy's music video for 'I Want It That Way'

There is a small amount of performance during this music video. There is a closeup shot on the band as the lead singers lip-synchs the first line of the song and then 2 other lines within the first 50 seconds on the video. This helps to address the audience because they are looking directly into the camera whilst singing therefore making eye contact with the audience; this helps to make the video more engaging. Peace are the main people within the music video and they are wearing all white. These costumes are reminiscent of the white outfits that the Backstreet Boys are famous for wearing, this implies that the band is possibly mocking them within their music video. This reinforces the idea that the band are making fun of boybands. 

The man in the music video who is telling the band what to do with a list of simple instructions such as ‘forward walk’. This makes the music video humorous because the audience would expect them to be able to do that task/action without being told. This helps to show the audience the groups opinions on boybands and how they believe that they are manufactured and told everything that they should do and say.  

When the band are continuing the dance routine outside of the studio, parts of the video have been put in slow motion, such as the picnic scene. This part of the video shows a family happily eating a picnic out in a field and then the women presumed to be the mother within the video looks into the distance and sees the band walking towards them at a fast pace. The family then stand up in a hurry throwing their drinks into the air, in order to move out of the bands path. As Peace walk over the picnic there is a close up on their feet showing them trample on the food. These actions have been put in slow motion to create dramatic effect which helps to keep the audience engaged. After the band have trampled through the family’s picnic, there is a mid and a long shot showing the family all huddled together and looking frightened, this makes the video more humorous because it makes the event seem more serious by making it look horrific and traumatising for the family when in fact it was just a band walking through a picnic. 

There are a range of shots used throughout this music video which helps to make it more interesting. A variety of closeups are used on the band, this is a helps to show their facial expressions and emotions. Throughout the music video the band tend to keep a neutral facial expression which suggests that they are clueless to what they are doing and are remaining in character even though they no longer need to. Mid shots and long shots are used to show the bands dance moves as well as the locations that they are dancing in. Using a long shot helps to establish the location which highlights the fact that the band should not be dancing there, for example the road with many moving cars. At the end of the music video a arc shot is used to go around the man holding up the directions/instructions, this helps the audience to see his distress at losing the band in the pit. The arc shot helps to make the audience feel as if they are placed in the music video; the arc shot then moves out into a long shot showing the man fall down to his knees. This shows his despair about losing the band and not keeping a close eye on them.

Male Gaze Theory

The male gaze is the idea of presenting women from a masculine viewpoint therefore objectifying them as merely objects of male pleasure. The theory consists of 3 different perspectives, these are; the person behind the camera, the characters within the film and the audience. The phrase was invented in 1975 by the feminist film critic, Laura Mulvey and the essay it was included in was based of pre 1960’s cinema. Mulvey believes that audience have to perceive characters from the viewpoint of a heterosexual male.

Some of the typical features of the male gaze is the lingering of the camera. The camera often moves slowly and focuses on the curves and attractive features of the female body. Other techniques synonymous with the male gaze are slow motion filming, and long shots showcasing the female body as a whole along with minimal clothing.

There are 2 specific modes of the male gaze; fetishistic and voyeuristic. Voyeuristic male gaze is the idea that women are an image or something to be looked at. Fetishistic male gaze is the idea that women are a response to male ‘castration anxiety’ and show a lack of male genitalia.

An example of a music video which contains the male gaze theory is, The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson. It contains many shots in which the female body is displayed in a tantalising manner and shows the body in full.  It also shows the voyeurism of the men in the video as they are seen to stare at the woman who is being pursued and is shown from the perspective of the men. In addition there are very few shots in which the woman is not present.

Another example of a music video that fits in to the male gaze theory is Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball. The perspective of the video is that of the audience as there is no one else present and she is often looking directly at them. She is wearing a low amount of clothing when she is actually wearing clothes which is showing her as an object of male pleasure. Her full body is also shown in a number of shots and her chest is very visible throughout.

Star Theory

The theory of ‘Star Image’ was created by Ricard Dyer. In this theory he proposes that celebrities and icons are constructed out of a range of materials by institutions for financial gain. Dyer has split his theory up into different sub-sections, these are; Constructions, Hegemony (Cultural Beliefs) as well as  Audience and Institution.

Constructions: 
Dyer believes that celebrities are built for an audience instead of being a real person; for example, stars are sometimes built to be different to create originality and likeablility. This construction is then emphasised through magazines, music videos and advertisements. Record companies are usually responsible for the construction of a “star”.
Audience and Institution: 
Dyer believes that celebrities are built only to make money. Therefore their image is constructed by institutions who are keen to benefit commercially. This suggests that every 'star' is constructed to met the interest a specific target audience to generate revenue for record companies. The 'stars’ are constructed to be what the record companies believe audiences want. 
Hegemony (Cultural Beliefs): 
Dyer believes that celebrities are constructed to have certain beliefs, values and attitudes. Therefore audiences relate to them because they have features/ideas that they share or admire. This results in audiences seeing 'stars' as role models and aspiring to be them.

Dyer also believes that the rise of social media has created more opportunities for 'stars' to engage with their audience/fans and spread their ideas on subjects and issues which are beyond music (hegemony). In addition to this he thinks that a 'star' should be both ordinary and extraordinary. This is because they need to be relatable to an audience so that they can aspire to be just like their idols. 
There are many examples of bands/artists for all genres of music which posses a star image, some of them are; The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Rhianna, Lana Del Rey and One Direction. However I am going to focus on Taylor Swift.

Taylor Swift Case Study: 

Taylor Swift is an example of an artist that fits into the different sub-sections of star theory. Taylor Swift released her debut album in 2006 and has since released and has since released another 4 albums, in addition to this she has won numerous awards for her music. Over these albums Taylor's music has matured along with her public image; this makes the audience feel like they are growing up with her. She was first introduced as an innocent teenager, whose blonde curly hair contributed to a youthful image which would have helped to make her seem more relatable to her audience. Taylor has a unique selling point which other artists sometimes lack; this is that she is a normal girl who is living her dream in the music industry, this inspires other young girls that their musical aspirations are also achievable. When Taylor first started to release music it was under the genre of country however as she started to gradually started to release pop music throughout her albums and in 2014 she released her first full pop album called '1989'. It is possible that she did this in order to reach a wider audience with her music and make more money from it.

As her music has changed so has her image, initially her image was innocent and friendly however she has steadily developed into a style icon, who frequently wears red lipstick, a straight blonde bob haircut who follows current fashion trends. Taylor's image is often shown a lot in her music videos such as 'Wildest Dreams', '22', "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together"  as well as many others and sometimes

even in her song lyrics, for example in her song 'Style' from her latest album she sings 'I got that red lip classic thing that you like', this shows how she is helping to familiarise the audience with one of her signature looks. Taylor is also well known for voicing her opinions on the music industry and standing up for artists rights, hence why she removed her music from Spotify and wrote a letter to Apple, addressing what she believed was wrong with Apple Music's 3 month free trial. This shows how she likes to voice her opinions about the industry, this will help her to inspire her fans to stand up for what they believe in. I believe that Taylor Swift does follow Richard Dyer's star theory in a number of different ways. Firstly because he states that he believes that stars should follow specific values, such as youthfulness, sexual magnetism, creativity as well as disregard for social values and consumption of sex, drugs and material goods. Taylor follows all of these values; 

she is youthful because of her young age, she is able to attract a wider audience built up of mainly young girls who feel like they can relate to her. Taylor also has sexual magnetism, she is able to attract males who might not otherwise enjoy her music due to the fact that they might find her music videos attractive. For example her video to 'Bad Blood' which features many other young females dressed in tight black lycra which shows off their figures; this would probably be very appealing to men.  Taylor also isn't afraid to share her beliefs and opinions on current social issue as well as issues within the music industry; however it is possible that these beliefs have been constructed for her in order to attract a wider audience and inspire her current audience.  Taylor also has a good balance of being extraordinary as well as ordinary because whilst she is a successful musician she still likes to do activities which she participated in when she wasn't famous.