How Have Music Videos Evolved and Richard Dyer Theory

HOW HAVE MUSIC VIDEOS EVOLVED?

As TV's, internet, and other multimedia sharing methods were becoming more widely available, music videos started replacing the radio and the stars which came along with it. 

The very first music video created was Bohemian Rhapsody performed by Queen. The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Abba shortly followed.

THE MTV GENERATION

MTV was created in August 1981 and it bought a whole new style of music video; this was called the MTV Generation. Many people believed it ruined the original rock stars, described in the song 'video killed the radio star' by The Buggles. Richard Dyer's star theory ties in with this; it is the idea that celebrities/iconic figures are created as a business and to target a specific audience for money.
Producers and Labels realised the more money they used to make the video, the more money they would make from it; this is because with a higher budget the video can be made more public, more flashy and appeal to a greater audience.



RICHARD DYER'S THEORY

Richard Dyer argued that pop stars are now identifiable by a persona or image- this is created by the media which represents them like magazine articles, live performances and music videos.

They are created to make profit in the music industry- the artist is now seen as a product or a brand.

Many boy bands seem similar, its because they are! The music industry moulds and shapes them into something the audience will buy.

ONE DIRECTION

An example of a boy band (who follow Richard Dyer's Theory) would be One Direction; they originated from major mainstream TV show 'X Factor'. They originally started as 5 individual singers but the judges saw an opportunity for money and told them to join together and become a band.

• Their first music video 'Drag Me Down'' was a huge hit and has hit 226 million views
• The target audience for One Direction is for Pre-teen girls; these girls would idolise the members and see them as the "perfect boys".

When their second music video release you could see their image evolving into a group which is more serious but it was still attracting the same target audience. One Direction wanted to start building up their name in the music industry and its image rapidly developed. They became a band which was easily  adapted too branch out too a big variety of target audience