Welcome to Music Videos Never Die

Hello everyone out there in Music Video Land!

We’re glad you found us. I know things seem pretty messed up right now. That’s because they are. Music videos are being taken over by TikTok, metrics, and creative directors and the community doesn’t have a place to call home. Budgets are down, attention spans are down, and everyone’s use of AI is way up. And all of this has a direct impact on the quality and variety in music videos.

But despite these conditions, music videos continue to be the place where creative boundaries are pushed and the new ideas, techniques, and talent emerge. Some of the most exciting voices in the film and TV world have grown directly out of the music video industry. And many of these artists wear their music video background as a badge of honor, crediting their narrative success to the skills they developed in music videos.

But for this to keep continue, music videos can’t just be an art form. They need to support an industry that’s strong enough for people to live off of. We will see a slowing of new ideas and creative innovation in the film industry overall if not enough people can reliably count on music videos to extract an income. Not just at the director level, but in every role. We can’t settle for music videos being viewed as a stepping stone to commercials, or as an art form with no market value like short films or poetry.

To overcome these challenges, we need more people talking about, writing about, celebrating, and watching music videos. We need more human curation that doesn’t come from a tech company, a commercial agency, or some place that values brand relationships over taste. We need more festivals and award shows to screen and showcase music videos. And this newsletter aims to support that. Thought articles, podcasts, interviews, and in person events, MVND will offer commentary, curation, and reporting on music videos and the culture that they generate.

Industry professional, film students, or just people that like music or videos should subscribe!