History of Music Videos

A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. The origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the 1980s, when MTV based their format around the medium, and later with the launch of VH1.

Music videos use a wide range of styles of film making techniques, including animation, live action, filming, documentaries and non narrative approaches such as abstract film. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation and live action.

The first music video dates back to 1894 when sheet music publishers still ran the music business, Edward B. Masen and Joe Stern promoted sales of their song The Little Lost Child with a series of projected still images shown simultaneously with live performances and blurry animations of kittens; in what became a popular form of entertainment known as the illustrated song. This has been termed the first music video.

HISTORY OF MTV

MTV (Music Television) is an American cable television network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs. Today, MTV still plays a limited selection of music videos, but the channel primarily broadcasts a variety of popular culture and reality television shows targeted at young adults.

Before 1983, Michael Jackson also struggled to receive airtime on MTV. To resolve the struggle and finally "break the color barrier", the president of CBS records at the time, Walter Yetnikoff denounced MTV in a strong, profane statement, threatening to take away MTV's ability to play any of the record label's music videos. However, Les Garland, then acquisitions head, said he decided to air Jackson's "Billie Jean" video without pressure from CBS.This was contradicted by CBS head of Business Affairs David Benjamin in Vanity Fair. In any case, MTV began showing the "Billie Jean" video in regular rotation in 1983, forming a lengthy partnership with Jackson and helping other black music artists.

Michael Jackson was the first black artist shown on MTV. Michael Jackson's Thriller is a 14-minute music video released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jackson. Often referred to as the greatest music video ever,Thriller proved to have a profound effect on popular culture,and was named "a watershed moment for the music industry"