Before MTV, before YouTube, there was a machine that played music videos in bars for a quarter. The Scopitone, a French invention from 1958, was a jukebox with a 16mm film screen, and it offered a glimpse of what was to come: a world where music and moving images were inseparable. Today, you can watch a music video on your phone in vertical format, designed for a thumbnail screen. The journey between those two moments is a story of technology, artistry, and the constant reinvention of how we experience music.
The Prehistory: Illustrated Songs and Coin-Operated Visions
The music video didn’t start with MTV. In the 1890s, Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern published “The Little Lost Child,” a song that came with a set of magic lantern slides. Theaters would project the slides while the audience sang along, creating an early “illustrated song” experience. It was a simple but powerful idea: music could be paired with visuals to enhance the emotional impact.
By the 1940s, the Panoram Soundie machines took this concept into bars and diners. For a dime, patrons could watch a three-minute film of jazz, swing, or R&B artists performing. These coin-operated jukeboxes were the direct ancestors of the Scopitone, and they set the stage for the visual music culture that would explode decades later.
The Scopitone: A French Invention with a Risqué Streak
The Scopitone, introduced in 1958 by the Compagnie Européenne de Télévision, was the first widely successful film jukebox. It played 16mm color film clips of popular artists, and it found a home in bars and nightclubs across Europe and the United States. The clips were often more risqué than what you’d see on TV, featuring go-go dancers and suggestive choreography. This was music video as entertainment, not art — but it was a start.
Despite its popularity in the mid-1960s, the Scopitone declined by the end of the decade. The machines were expensive to maintain, and the novelty wore off. But the idea of a dedicated device for watching music videos was a precursor to the visual culture that would become central to pop music.
The 1960s and 1970s: Promo Clips and the Rise of the Performance Film
In the 1960s, artists began making promotional films to reach audiences without appearing on TV in person. The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night (1964) popularized the “performance film” aesthetic, with its energetic, documentary-style footage of the band. Singles like “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane” (1966–1967) were accompanied by promo clips that were more experimental, blending surreal imagery with the music.
The Rolling Stones also embraced the form, with clips like “We Love You” (1966) that featured dramatic, cinematic sequences. These early promo films were shown on shows like Top of the Pops in the UK and American Bandstand in the US, giving artists a way to promote their singles without touring.
By the 1970s, the promotional clip had become a standard tool. David Bowie, Queen, and ABBA all produced videos for TV appearances, each adding their own visual style. But these were still secondary to the music itself — nobody thought of the video as a work of art in its own right.
MTV: The Channel That Changed Everything
On August 1, 1981, MTV launched with “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles. It was a fitting first video, as the channel would indeed transform the music industry. For the first time, a 24-hour cable channel was dedicated entirely to music videos. The visual image became central to an artist’s success, and the VJ (video jockey) became a new kind of celebrity.
MTV created a feedback loop: a video in heavy rotation could make an unknown artist a superstar overnight. Duran Duran, Madonna, and Michael Jackson all rode MTV to global fame. The channel also gave directors a platform to experiment, turning the music video into a legitimate art form.
But MTV had a dark side. In its early years, the channel was criticized for ignoring Black artists. Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” (1983) and “Thriller” (1983) broke down those barriers, but the channel’s history remains a point of contention. “Thriller” itself was a watershed moment — a 14-minute short film directed by John Landis that turned the music video into a cultural event. It premiered to massive audiences and became a template for high-budget, narrative-driven videos.
The Golden Age: Directors as Auteurs
The 1990s were the golden age of the music video. Directors like Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, and Mark Romanek became auteurs, known for their distinct visual styles. Budgets soared, and videos became cinematic, with elaborate sets, special effects, and narratives that rivaled short films.
Michael Jackson continued to push boundaries with videos like “Black or White” (1991), which featured groundbreaking morphing effects. Madonna’s “Vogue” (1990) and “Like a Prayer” (1989) were cultural touchstones. Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991) captured the grunge movement with its chaotic, low-fi aesthetic. And Missy Elliott’s “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” (1997) used surreal CGI to create a visual style that was uniquely her own.
This was also the era when MTV began to shift away from music videos. By the late 1990s, the channel was airing more reality programming like The Real World and Jackass, and video airplay started to decline. The golden age was coming to an end, but the directors and artists it produced had already changed the medium forever.
YouTube and the Democratization of Video
In 2005, YouTube launched, and it changed everything again. Suddenly, anyone could upload a music video, and anyone could watch it, on demand, for free. Artists no longer needed MTV to get their videos seen. The internet became the new gatekeeper, and viral videos became a new path to fame.
One of the first viral music videos was OK Go’s “Here It Goes Again” (2006), a single-take video of the band performing a choreographed routine on treadmills. It was a low-budget, clever video that captured the internet’s imagination, and it demonstrated the power of online distribution.
YouTube also allowed for a diversity of voices that had been marginalized by traditional media. Artists could reach global audiences without a record label’s backing, and fans could discover music from anywhere in the world. The music video became a democratic medium, for better and for worse.
The Streaming Era: Vertical, Short-Form, and the Rise of TikTok
Today, music videos are consumed primarily on streaming platforms like YouTube, Vevo, and Spotify. Vevo, launched in 2009 as a joint venture between major labels and YouTube, provides a dedicated home for official videos. But the format has changed.
The rise of TikTok has pushed music videos toward vertical, short-form content. A song’s success often depends on a 15-second clip going viral, and artists now create videos with that in mind. The full-length music video still exists, but it competes with a constant stream of short, snackable content.
Artists like Beyoncé have embraced the streaming era with visual albums like Lemonade (2016), which was released as a film on HBO. Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” (2018) became a viral sensation for its powerful imagery, and it was designed to be watched and discussed online. The music video has evolved from a promotional tool to a primary form of artistic expression, and it continues to adapt to new technologies and viewing habits.
The Enduring Power of Music Video
From Scopitone to TikTok, the music video has proven its resilience. It has survived the decline of MTV, the rise of the internet, and the shift to mobile-first consumption. Each era has brought new formats, new technologies, and new ways of telling stories. But the core idea remains the same: music and images, combined to create something greater than the sum of their parts.
As we look to the future, it’s clear that the music video will keep evolving. Virtual reality, interactive videos, and AI-generated content are just a few of the possibilities. But whatever form it takes, the music video will always be a space for creativity, a reflection of culture, and a way for artists to connect with audiences around the world.
The music video has come a long way from a coin-operated film jukebox in a French bar. It has been a promotional tool, an art form, a cultural event, and a viral sensation. As technology continues to change, the music video will keep reinventing itself, but its ability to capture the essence of a song in a visual form will remain timeless.
Summary
- The music video originated in the 1890s with illustrated songs and evolved through Soundies and Scopitone film jukeboxes.
- MTV launched in 1981, making the visual image central to musical success and turning directors into celebrities.
- The 1990s were the golden age, with high-budget videos from artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna.
- YouTube democratized video distribution, allowing anyone to share and discover music videos.
- The streaming era has shifted toward vertical, short-form content on platforms like TikTok.
FAQ
**Q: What was the first music video ever?
A: The first music video is a matter of debate, but the “illustrated song” “The Little Lost Child” (1894) is often cited as a precursor. The first video played on MTV was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggles in 1981.
**Q: Why is Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” so important?
A: “Thriller” (1983) redefined the music video as a cultural event and a short film. Its 14-minute runtime, narrative, and special effects set a new standard for production values and turned the music video into an art form.
**Q: How did YouTube change the music video industry?
A: YouTube allowed anyone to upload and watch music videos for free, bypassing traditional gatekeepers like MTV. This democratized distribution and led to the rise of viral videos, giving independent artists a global platform.
**Q: What is a Scopitone?
A: A Scopitone is a French film jukebox from 1958 that played 16mm color music clips. It was popular in bars and nightclubs in the 1960s and was a precursor to modern music videos.
**Q: Are music videos still relevant in the streaming era?
A: Yes, but they’ve evolved. Full-length videos still exist, but shorter, vertical formats on platforms like TikTok are now essential for promoting songs. Artists use these to create viral moments that can drive a song’s success.