History of Music Videos

The history of music videos begins from its meaning. According to Wikipedia music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. Modern music videos were primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings.  The timeline for music videos stretch as far back as the late 19th century.

1895: The 'First' music video is filmed at Thomas Edison's studio 

Early 20th century: Illustrated songs capture moviegoers' eyes and ears 

This was first presented in 1894 as a publicity stunt for marketing sheet music, illustrated songs included photographic images painted in colour which was then projected from glass slides, sometimes. Audiences members would watch this visual displays as pianists and vocalists performed corresponding music.



1940-1946: Soundies put coins in jukeboxes across the United States
Soundies were three-minute films featuring music and dance performances, designed to be shown on a jukebox-like projection machines in bars, restaurants and other public spaces. Majority of legendary era's talents - jazz singers, swing dancers to chamber musicians and comedians, appeared in the jukebox-like projections. Another type of known visual jukebox in those times which was used were Scopitone - originated from France (late 1950s).

Jiles Perry Richardson

1959: The Big Bopper coins the term 'music video' 

Buddy Holly and Ritche Valens

According to some music historians, singers and Jiles Perry Richardson (songwriter), who went by The Big Bopper, became the first person to use the phrase 'music video' in a 1959 interview with a British magazine. In that same year Richardson died in a plane crash which also killed famous singers Buddy Holly and Ritche Valens.



1981 - MTV is launched 
The first video to be aired is by The Buggles 'Video Killed the Radio Star'.
   - In the early mid 1980s artists started to use more sophisticated effects in their videos, and added a storyline or plot to the music video. Michael Jackson was the first artist to create the concept of short film. Jackson directed by Steve Barron created the short film Billie Jean, then in a West Side Story way with director Bob Giraldi's Beat It,


Another television which launched was Top of the Pops. Top of the Pops was censorous in it's approach to video content, so another approach was for an act to produce a promo that would be banned or edited and so use the resulting controversy and publicity to promote the release. Examples of these tactics were Duran Duran - 'Girls on Film' and Frankie Goes to Hollywood - 'Relax'.