If you follow me on social media or have had the displeasure to hang out with me in person while I rant, this topic isn’t new to you. I’ve been preaching on this subject for years and feel very few of the independent artists and friends in my circle that make music have taken any notes.
Music videos are dead for independent artists. Period.
I know, I know. You, independent artist reading this, are already shaking your head. You want to exit this article or you’re ready to leave a comment about how this is cap. You have these immediate justifications running through your head about art, expression, and connecting with fans. This post is intended as game for those in the music business.
If your first thought is “art” instead of business, you’ve already lost; you’re not in the music business. You make music, but you’re not in the business of it. I get it, the “real” and art will always have a place and will be a catalyst for some, but it’s never solely art. You have to be talented and either lucky or still understand business and be able to wear both the artist hat and the business hat simultaneously.
Stop Shooting Music Videos as an Independent Artist
I did say above that music videos are dead. They are not dead, but I also didn’t contradict myself; hear me out. Music videos should be dead from a business perspective.
In the past, music videos were the only way to learn more about an artist’s brand. You could find out more about that person, how they dressed, their interests, etc. Over time, we realized it was all a fabricated and commercialized version of that artist, but it was still the only thing we had to see into the real lives of the musicians we loved to listen to.
Social media has given us access to view into these people’s lives at a raw, unfiltered, and very much authentic way. The video no longer provides that view into an artist that we don’t have elsewhere. The video is now a way to consume the same music we love in another format.
The problem is, people consume content fast. Really fast. Viewers are no longer watching music videos every day on the TRL countdown or pulling them up on YouTube regularly. You (the consumer) are constantly looking for the “next” thing and are more than ready to call something played out the same week it drops.
10 Seconds
What adds more to this is that most people don’t want the full music video. The average view time of any video on the internet is around 10 seconds. 10 SECONDS! What makes this even crazier is that most people consume “clips” of videos on social media instead of watching the full video on YouTube.
If you’re an independent artist, you’ve seen this before. Your IG announcement of a new video with a 30-second clip has 1,000 views, but the full video on YouTube only has 340 views. Only 1/3 of your existing fans cared to watch more than the 30 seconds you provided on Instagram, and the vast majority of those folks only watched 10 seconds or less.
Why would you pay for a full video production and spend the time and energy storyboarding it, producing it, editing it, and deploying it just for folks to watch potentially 10-30 seconds of a 3 minute + video? And does that video have enough entertainment value for anyone to have the urge to rewatch, share, or engage with it? Is another video with a rented car, guns featuring a warning that they’re props, or dudes smoking weed shirtless in the trenches really THAT enticing?
Photo by KAL VISUALS on Unsplash
Budget and Why Music Videos “Fail”
When it comes to any business, there are two resources you have to manage: time and people/staff. Budget is one of the only tools to solve both of those areas. More money equals more people to help be more efficient with the time you have available. Being a small business or independent artist, budget is something you likely don’t have much of.
You likely also don’t have a “team,” nor do you have a bunch of time. You work to pay your bills, work to pay for your craft, and then work on your craft. Writing, recording, mixing, editing, strategy, social media, PR, booking shows, merch, design, promotion, working with video/photo folks, and the list goes on and on. It truly is hard to be a great artist, run a business, and excel at marketing. But within these hardships, there is opportunity.
Coordination and Promotion
A music video is expensive, and it takes time and likely a third party. You not only have to pay for the video, but you also have to wait on someone else’s schedule to shoot and edit it. You then need to spend at least 3x as much into promoting that content as you did making it (yes this is a rule to live by and yes I also know you…reader…likely have not been doing so). With all of this, you likely can’t shoot more than a video every other month or less on average.
When it comes to promoting a music video, your existing fans see it and engage with it; you hope they share it and others see it and ultimately become a fan. How has this worked out for you? Is the ROI on new fans worth the cost of production? Without these music videos, would your existing fanbase not listen to your music? I know the answers to these questions, but I ask them in hopes to get your wheels turning.
What You Should be Doing
I don’t have an explicit answer as to what you should be doing. Everyone is different. Their music/art is different, their image/brand is different, their existing fanbase is different, their target demographics vary, and their goals are not the same. I do know that if you’re an independent artist, putting whatever budget you would put into a music video would be better spent here:
- Advertising spend (promote content that you do have to NEW people)
- Influencer marketing
- Paying people to do the “grunt work”
What I strongly believe would be 10x more useful is filming your own content on your cell phone for free and putting whatever budget you would put into a music video behind ads on that content. You will reach substantially more “new” people and your existing fans will still get content that is fueled by you, which is the thing they should be in it for.
To take it a step further, instead of spending $1,000 on one video, shoot ten cell phone style pieces of content positioned around your brand and music, and then put $100 worth of ads on each one. Whatever one performs the best, invest more money into.
Influencer Marketing
What does influencer marketing mean? Simply paying a person that has an audience that is likely to be interested in your sound or brand to bring awareness to you. They may repost your content, use your song in a video, or shout you out on a post. This is a tricky game and MANY people take advantage of struggling independent artists in this regard, but it’s something that all businesses in any lifestyle sector partake in one way or another because it’s proven to be incredibly valuable.
Grunt Work
Paying someone for “grunt work” you say, what’s that? Essentially, getting a contractor employee (or multiple). Above, we listed the many hats that independent artists must wear. And even with the most important of the creative hats, there still isn’t much time leftover for the little things that truly matter.
Following new accounts on Instagram, leaving targeted comments on big accounts, engaging with “new” potential fans, basic PR, emailing influencers or platforms, etc. These tasks can be almost mindless and don’t cost a ton at an hourly wage level to complete. They’re also likely not the best use of your time as an artist, but they are essential.
You can pay folks to do these things, which frees up your time to do more top-level moves. You may likely even have some friends that truly support you and would love to get paid to be a part of your hustle. Mixing friends and money can be difficult, but this is a great way to expand your business.
Photo by Amanda Vick on Unsplash
TikTok
TikTok has proven over the last two years that people want short form, curated, and highly entertaining content. They also want an endless stream of it on-demand. The statistic about content being viewed for 10 seconds or under has proven that.
TikTok shows that people can go viral with content they created on their cell phones. No $1,000+ budget, no RED camera, and no third party to wait on necessary. You can create on-demand and, better yet, be quicker to create and post something built around a trend. When it comes to going viral, speed is everything. Even if you’re not aiming to go viral, that concept can still be incredibly valuable to any content release.
If You MUST Shoot a Music Video
Make it something creative and fresh. No one wants to see the same thing that everyone else has done. There are literally thousands of music videos dropping every single day and many are from artists people already know or are “told” are what’s hot. What separates you from them? Also note, doing the same thing as everyone else will ensure you do not stand out.
Think about how to make something that can intrigue people within the first few seconds, as well as teach them about you and your brand during it. Then, hopefully, they take action at the end (follow, stream, subscribe, etc.).
Good luck, it’s hard out there. We want to see you win.
