Reasons Why Indie Musicians Need A Music Video
Gone are the days when music videos were only for major labels. It is now prevalent for Indie Artist to produce very high-quality, visually captivating music videos. A musician can now work with a cinematographer to pull off professional video productions on a shoestring budget. In the past, major labels would spend millions of dollars in making just one music video. It didn't just end in creating videos, as that was just a part of the enormous hurdle. Getting the video played on major TV stations like MTV was also a tremendous challenge. If MTV didn't air a video or perhaps VH1, then it might as well be lost. Few would ever get to see it. Music videos were such big deals that Indie Artists rarely thought they could pull off a successful visual interpretation of their music for a larger audience. However, things have changed with time.
Photo By: Jakob Owens
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube came on the scene, and things shifted in the music business and music promotion world. YouTube took over from MTV as the significant disseminators of content like music videos. Statista (a market and consumer data company) statistics show that a considerable percentage (over 80%) of the videos watched on YouTube are music videos; this number is significant to the music industry and particularly Independent Artist. We are now in the day of iPhones and 4K video cameras that can be purchased for a few hundred dollars. And a video can go viral on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube in a matter of days. If you are an Indie Artist, consider a couple of reasons you should be making music videos.
A Video Will Give A Face to Your Music
Humans hate 'facelessness.' The same goes for your music. People need to see and know who they are listening to; this builds bonds and connections between the song, the artists, and the listeners. A music video will put a face to the music. It will help paint an image of you and imprint it boldly into the minds of your fans. The impact and reach of your song can be magnified if an excellent music video accompanies it; this also plays a significant role in establishing your brand as an artist.
People want to see you; they want to know what you look like so they can make a better connection. Think about the difference in your feelings when you talk with someone you have never met on the phone and finally get to meet them in real life.
Photo By: Harry Shelton
Music Videos Will Give You More Avenues to Promote Your Music
You can put your music on streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Tidal, and the rest. However broad a reach these streaming platforms might provide collectively, it is still not enough for promoting your music. If you think about how we discover new music and Artists today, it is probably a stumble upon on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter. Making music videos, uploading, and linking them on these platforms are a great way to automatically widen your audience reach, promote your video/music, and ultimately your brand.
Last Word
You have to know that while building a career as an Independent Artist, the visuals (photos and videos) you create are significantly crucial in the marketing and brand-building process. To stand out in an over-saturated market, you'll need to find a way to create captivating and creative videos that can compete with even the biggest brands in the industry. Don't get me wrong; I am not saying break the bank. Remember that Kanye's "Only One" video, which boasts a little over 45 million views on YouTube, was shot with an iPhone.