The music video once attracted famous directors to music, and vice versa, music video directors later turned out to be great filmmakers. But despite youtube and vimeo, the music video has lost impact and importance in the last decade. This is not surprising, because where once MTV determined which (music) images we got to see, we now determine that ourselves. MTV now only broadcasts music on theme channels.
Some say Dylan and filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker invented the music video long before Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.
Of course, contemporary artists also seize on the diminished importance of a slick clip to make one, see Taylor Swift. Others choose to keep using the clip as an art form, like David Bowie. But it can also be simpler and more modern. Both show this in their new videos released the day after each other.
Bob Dylan's new album will be released on 20 May. Once again featuring only covers of songs that became best known in Frank Sinatra's performance. A direct follow-up to Shadows in the night So. The first clip to promote the new album? A 'vinyl video'. What we see? A record spinning. Nothing more, nothing less. There are thousands of them on youtube, but never before has a world-famous singer launched his new album with it.
The creators are thus cleverly capitalising on the recent vinyl hype as well as the nostalgic nature of Dylan's latest album Fallen Angels.
And Bowie? Jonathan Barnbrook came up with "a very simple little video that I wanted to be ultimately positive... I saw it as a celebration of David."
For both: mission accomplished.
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