Research: Music video genres

Music video genres

A genre, in relations to music videos is a style or category that a type of music video belongs to. A music video has its own characteristics that enable us to determine the genre that it belongs to. For example, the music video for ‘Rihanna What’s My Name? ‘Belongs to the R&B genre.

There are many genres within the Music industry. Examples of the genres are as follows:

• Pop
• R&b
• Hip hop
• Rap
• House
• Jazz
• Dance
• Drum & Bass
• Electronic
• Folk
• Classical
• Indie
• Reggae
• Grime
• Fusion
• Gospel

Genres and characteristics

The type of music video has to have the characteristics of the genre it belongs to. The ‘Pop’ genre for instance aims to appeal to the general audience rather than a particular sub-culture or ideology. An emphasis on recording, production and technology over live performance. Moreover, a tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments. These are some of the factors that determine the characteristics of the ‘Pop’ genre. 

 However, as the genre changes differences in characteristics can be found in the music video. The genre Hip hop for instance has a more of a limited target audience. The music videos are based around money, girls and fancy cars. Swearing is another feature that is constant in Hip Hop music videos. These characteristics would be appealing to a smaller group. An example being 50 cent ‘ina da club’

The importance of following generic conventions in music videos.

It is essential to follow generic conventions in music video. The reasons are as follows:

• To satisfy and please the target audience. The target audience of the specific genre expects a conventional music video that they can relate to. If generic conventions are not used then the target audience could be lost.
• By following the generic conventions, the music video could appeal to a larger audience which would enhance the fan base and therefore would have a larger target audience.
• Could make the music video more popular. There would be an increase in the number of views on the internet such as on YouTube or social networking websites.
• A successful music video that follows the generic conventions demonstrates the prestige of the industry. It would make sure that they make money and profits from the music video.

Conclusion:

This has helped me with the planning of my music video because I am now able to categories the different music videos within their specific genres. Moreover, I am able to understand the specific characteristics that each genre requires, which would enable me to gain an understanding on the genre of my chosen music video in which I would stick with the generic conventions of the genre it belongs to.