History of Music Videos

When do you think the first music video was created?

1895!

History of Music Videos

• Early twenty first century, in order to market sheet music, ‘illustrated songs’ were create

• Coloured photographic slides were projected while an instrument was played in nickelodeons

• These performances were usually played before the main feature short films or during reel changes

• This could be classed as the first example of using visual to sell music

History of Music Videos

• By the 1910s however, film was big business

• The 1914: The 3,300-seater Stand Theatre opened in New York, complete with a orchestral pit

• This meant that productions like DW Griffiths The Birth of a Nation (1915) could be accompanied by music

History of Music Videos

• 1925 – The first cinema sing along

1927 – The first talkie –The Jazz Singer (1927)

History of Music Videos

• 1940s – Soundies and Visual Jukeboxes

• Soundies – Three minutes films featuring singing and dancing

• Played on duke box-like projection machines

• Many famous singers and entertainers appeared in them

• Fantasia (1940) created by Walt Disney Scopitone – 1060s

History of Music Videos

• 1960s – Music and movies

• Artists such as Elvis and The Beatles produce films to promote their music

• Single, ‘Love Me Tender’ (1958) received 1 million pre-orders and made the film Love Me Tender very popular

• The Beatles capitalised on the same principle, staring in feature length films, which promoted their music

History of Music Videos

• 1960s – Top of the Pops

• First broadcast on New Years Day, 1964, from Dickenson Road in Manchester

• The first episode, (which included The Beatles and The Rolling Stones) was deleted

• Signalled the growing link between music and videos

• A new regular platform for music where music could be accessed

History of Music Videos

• 1970s & 80s – The Beginnings of Music Television

• Countdown and Sounds aired in Australia, showing purpose made music videos

• This paved the way for programmes such as TOTP to show music video as well as ‘live’ acts and MTV

• Why do you think that Australia valued music videos?