History of Music Videos

By SvaraMandrekar

  • Origins of Music Videos

    Before music videos came in the format of videos, they were simply photographic images that could be displayed corresponding to the music. Pianists and vocalists performed corresponding music to the images and this was the beginning of the concepts of music videos.

  • 1895 The Beginning

    1895 marked the beginning of music videos when Thomas Edison's lab fitted out moving pictures on a phonograph. Although this clip was never released to consumers because the Kinetophone remained unfamiliar to users, it was called the "Dickson Experimental Sound Film".

  • Introduction of Sound-on film

    The concept of Sound-on films were introduced by NYC's Ravioli theatre when they accompanied the first motion pictures with soundtracks. These would include opera singers and well-known musicians and these clips were featured mainly in the beginning of the films.

  • Bouncing Ball Makes a Debut

    A year following the animated car sound-on film, musical cartoons with bouncing balls later became common elements of children television programs as well as a common theme for a music video.

  • Spooney Melody

    Spooney Melody series were the first to introduce short-films mixing live-action footage of the performer. This would be made up of quick segments of music showing the performer playing the music.

  • Emergence of Real Music Videos

    This is when videos that included music and dance performances in public places emerged and marked the beginning of music videos as we know them. These at the time were known as the visual jukebox.

  • Musical Shorts Comeback

    These musical shorts which were commonly used in the 1920's returned in the 1950's but as filler footage which would be between television movies.

  • Birth of the Term 'Music Video'

    The term Music Video first was used by Big Bopper in a British magazine and it officially marked the start of an era.

  • Beatle's Baby

    The Beatles were the first band to be able to have the power to really express through music videos and started the trend for the music genre as a whole.

  • The Beginning of Experimentation in Film

    Artists begin to expand their boundaries as they branch out to more abstract themes and concepts for their music videos. This form of music videos became so popular that it became a branch of music videos called Experimental.

  • Queen of Music Videos

    Queen's song Bohemian Rhapsody became the number one song for the song itself as well as its music video and became known in the history for rock music.

  • MTV Joins the Party

    The first music video aired on MTV and this was the beginning of MTV as well as several platforms like it. During this time music videos cost more than feature films.

  • Wizards of Music Videos

    The increase in music videos and their popularity created opportunities for several directors that wanted to express their visions through the music and create the perfect partnership between the music and the video.