cover image by Crasianne Tirado

In an age dominated by short-form content, it’s becoming increasingly common for today’s top music videos to go unseen. Should artists still invest in these art forms, and if so, what can we do to support them?

The following comes from Chartmetric, a company DMN is partnered with.

If you’re an ’80s child or earlier, you probably remember a music video featuring a man in a red outfit leading dancing zombies. Those who grew up in the 1990s might recall a music video of a schoolgirl swaying through crowded hallways with pink bowed pigtails. For the generation born in the 2000s and later, you might remember a video of a pop star dressed as Cleopatra sitting on a Sphinx-like throne. Even if none of these examples resonate with you, it’s doubtful you’ve forgetten when one of the world’s biggest rappers released a video at the height of the Black Lives Matter movement, calling attention to issues of systemic racism in America.

From Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” (1983) to Britney Spears’ “…Baby One More Time” (1998) to Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” (2014) to Childish Gambino’s “This is America” (2018), these iconic music videos have left an indelible mark on popular culture and cemented their artists’ place in the history books. Music videos have played a significant role in our lives in the past, even if we weren’t aware of it.

Once a staple for fan engagement and artist promotion, music videos are navigating a dynamic landscape where streaming platforms play a significant role in music discovery and consumption. Today, a track can make it to our Spotify Wrapped without us knowing what its music video looks like. One might question whether modern music videos still stand in an age where everything is short-form, attention span is minimal, and the music industry is fragmented and saturated.

When looking at the most streamed tracks on Spotify in 2023, 36 out of the top 40 tracks released between 2022 and 2023 had accompanying music videos. On average, these videos garnered 374M views, whereas the tracks themselves accumulated an average of 1.1B streams. This resulted in an average gap of 731M between the number of views on the videos and the number of streams on Spotify. While this data does not offer a comprehensive view of the entire music industry, it does suggest a shift in the role and impact of music videos compared to previous eras.

2010s and the Golden Age of music videos

While modern music videos have been around since the mid-20th century, YouTube's arrival in 2005 and Vevo's in 2009 transformed the way people consume music videos. Enabling artists to interact with global audiences directly, the 2010s saw music videos evolve further due to the digital revolution.

The most-watched music video on YouTube is "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee from 2017, with over 8.39 billion views, followed by Ed Sheeran's 2017 "Shape of You" at 6.21 billion views and Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's 2015 "See You Again" at 6.19 billion views. Most of the top videos date back to the 2010s, when Western pop music was at it's peak on YouTube. These tracks were massive hits during that era and could be heard everywhere from the radio to retail stores.

To better understand the relevance of music videos today, we can zoom in on the most-streamed tracks on Spotify in 2023. Examining the average daily changes in both YouTube views and Spotify streams, we're given insight into how these songs perform on a daily basis over time across both platforms.

The death of pop music videos?

Most pop music videos are centered in the second, lower half of the graph. This suggests that while these pop tracks may still be popular on Spotify, their music videos on YouTube are not experiencing substantial daily changes in views compared to other genres, such as Latin. This includes big hits such as Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" (10th most streamed track), which has 1.41B streams, SZA's "Kill Bill" (2nd most streamed track) with 1.68B streams, and JVKE's "Golden Hour" (29th most streamed track) with 1.08B streams. This doesn't mean that fans are not watching pop music videos, but rather that fans tend to use other platforms to consume the track after the initial release rather than watching its video repeatedly.

Many music fans nowadays prefer quick and easy ways to enjoy their favorite tracks rather than diving into the full visual experience. This trend stems from our love for short-form videos, which allow us to consume content on the fly. Traditional music videos, on the other hand, require jumping through hoops like ads on YouTube before you can even watch them. That's why fewer people bother with them these days, opting instead to listen while doing other things. But the superfans will go the extra mile and watch the music video for a deeper connection with their favorite artists.

One of the most successful pop music videos in recent times is Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" video, which was the No. 1 most streamed track of the year. It premiered on January 13, 2023, and within 24 hours, grossed over 13.8 million views. In just 32 days after its release, the video hit 202.8 million views. As of now, the video has reached 719.9 million views with an average of 1.76 million daily views. The music video is notable for its simplicity, featuring Cyrus moving through various activities at her home in Los Angeles, from outdoor exercises to dancing on the roof at night. The video's narrative is deeply personal and female-empowering, and it allegedly integrates easter eggs that hint at Miley Cyrus's personal journey and past relationship with Liam Hemsworth.

Another example is Doja Cat's "Paint The Town Red" (35th most streamed track). Released on August 4, 2023, the video is visually striking, featuring dark and symbolic imagery like Doja Cat peeling out her eyeball and scenes with death (grim reaper), reflecting the song's unapologetic anthem, where she emphasizes her indifference to others' opinions. Doja Cat showcased her artistic talent pre-release by creating paintings during Instagram Live, which served as inspiration for the music video.

While the video initially lagged behind its Spotify counterpart, which garnered 128.2 million views within a month, it still amassed a notable 27.4 million views on YouTube a month after the release. Although impressive, this figure is overshadowed by it's Spotify's performance. By that time, the track had gone viral with 989k TikTok posts, resulting in a significant boost in views, particularly on September 8, with 2.9 million views. It subsequently debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 16. This surge appears to be attributed to the track's viral success on TikTok and its cross-platform popularity. However, it raises the question: would such growth in YouTube views have been possible without its viral traction?

A music video released after a track's initial release is a common strategy to revive interest, maintain chart performance, and engage the audience. This approach is often used to release singles after an album launch. Released on April 25, 2023 as the sixth single of her second studio album, "SOS," SZA's "Snooze" (37th most streamed track) peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video premiered on August 25 (258 days after the initial release and 123 after the single release) and features artists Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco. The music video, alongside a four-track bundle that includes a sped-up version of the track and the acoustic version featuring Bieber (released on September 15), helped the track reach a peak number of 2 on October 7.

Despite these promotional efforts, the music video has garnered relatively modest views, with only 53.8 million views in six months, averaging around 2.9 million views per day with a daily median change of 250k. In comparison, the official audio of the track on YouTube, released with the album, has amassed significantly more views, totaling 172 million views and surpassing the 93.1 million views of "Kill Bill."

The domination of Latin music videos

Latin music videos on YouTube have consistently remained popular over time without any significant fluctuations. Seven of the ten tracks with the highest average daily change are Latin. Moreover, the top three tracks from these seven have very similar average daily changes on YouTube and Spotify, and even "TQG" (12th most streamed track) by Karol G and Shakira has 2.66 million average daily streams on Spotify and 2.7 million on YouTube. It is the most-watched music video of 2023 and earned Vevo's most-watched global premiere title with 181.9 million views in its first two weeks. Similar to "Flowers," the track's lyrics feature "shots" directed at Shakira and Karol's ex-boyfriends.

The second track in the graph is "La Bebe (Remix)" by Yng Lvcas featuring Peso Pluma (13th most streamed track), which was released on March 17, 2023, and has 797.9 million YouTube views with an average of 2.37 million daily views. The official visualizer and the accompanying cover audio, both released simultaneously with the music video release, have garnered 31 million and 35 million views, respectively. This indicates that despite its longer duration and less convenient listening format than the cover audio, the music video continues to attract attention.

The Bzrp Music Sessions comprise a series of music collaborations between Argentine producer Bizarrap and several artists. The music videos of these sessions have a raw and energetic vibe as the artists lip-sync to the tracks in dynamic and colorful shots that appear to be filmed in Bizarrap's recording studio. Both "Vol. 52" with Quevedo (32nd streamed track) and "Vol. 53" with Shakira (9th streamed track) had a significant YouTube performance, crossing over 626.2 million and 694.2 million views, respectively. This proves that a great concept is crucial and often more impactful than a high-budget production, and that concept should align with the song's vibe, energy, and feel and cohesively blend with the entire project.

The global popularity of Latin music and the collaborations within it boost both YouTube and streaming numbers, broadening the genre's global appeal. Secondly, trigger cities, mainly in Latin America, play a crucial role, with dense populations consuming and sharing music, leading to significant views, especially since YouTube is a free and accessible platform. Despite the gap between the number of Spotify streams and YouTube views, music videos appear to remain a prime driver in Latin music.

Music videos in K-Pop

Similar to Latin music, K-pop recognizes the importance of high-quality music videos. This trend has led to the production of high-budget, meticulously crafted music videos that serve to entertain and enhance the global reach of these artists and their music. Nine of the 10 most viewed YouTube videos in 24 hours are by the same K-pop artists: BTS (5) and BLACKPINK (3). BTS's "Butter" broke the record for the most viewed YouTube video in the first 24 hours with 108.2 million views in 2021. A recent example illustrating this trend is the release of Jung Kook's "Seven" featuring Latto (4th most streamed track). Within just a week of its release on July 14, 2023, the video garnered 86.4 million views on YouTube. Within a month, it surpassed Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" (10th streamed track), accumulating 115.4 million views. To put this into perspective, "Anti-Hero" took 467 days to reach the same milestone that "Seven" achieved in just 47 days, hitting 184 million views.

So, what's happening?

The current landscape of music videos varies by genre, with Latin music maintaining consistent popularity on platforms like YouTube, while K-pop emphasizes high-quality production, and pop music might have lost its relevance and appeal, at least when it comes to daily consumption.

However, this evolution in music video popularity is part of a broader cycle, reflecting the ever-changing landscape of pop music. Major labels face criticism for prioritizing viral sensations over talent, as they once did back when MTV was in its prime. As a result, the industry is suffering from a lack of artist development, with platforms like TikTok providing rapid exposure before artists are fully prepared. On the other hand, pop music fans still value traditional music videos for their artistry, however, recent ones are criticized for being uninspired and low-budget, making it challenging for artists to innovate while keeping audiences engaged.

And what can we do?

We must prioritize artist development, support emerging talents, and preserve traditional media outlets. While the music scene has evolved significantly, creativity should guide us, and we've even seen unexpected comebacks. Who knew that CDs would experience a resurgence in popularity even in an era dominated by digital streaming services?

While Spotify streams may exceed YouTube views for many popular tracks today, the role of music videos in the industry remains substantial. They are not just promotional tools but integral parts of an artist's creative expression and a key element in the music ecosystem, offering unique experiences that audio alone cannot provide. Remembering that music is a passion, not just a race for views or likes, is crucial for maintaining artistic integrity. This might be a transitional period rather than a permanent downturn.

No matter what genre, great music videos evoke strong emotions and leave a lasting impression on viewers through iconic moments that become part of pop culture. Who could forget Kelly Rowland's memorable Excel text to Nelly in the "Dilemma" music video, "Where you at? Holla when you get there," a moment that puzzled us for years?

Edited by Sarah Kloboves, cover image by Crasianne Tirado

Photo credit: KAL VISUALS

This article is for the indie musician who’s trying to turn music into their career. If you’re ready to do both the creative side and the business side of things, this post is for you. So by asking Are music videos worth it for indie artists?, I mean financially and strategically.

The Purpose of a Music Video

The main reason you create any kind of content surrounding your music is to promote your music. And any music video you create is content.

Wendy Day is a well-known name in the hip-hop world for her mentorship and partnerships with indie rap artists. And she had some things to say about music videos in an interview on the NDPNDNT podcast.

“I don’t want to have a great video because I don’t want people watching the video because it’s a great video,” she said. “I want them listening to the song.”

Music videos should not be a mini movie, she said. If you make a music video, it needs to be one that you can easily chop into smaller bites of content for social media. She said a music video is a “turbo boost” for promoting your music.

The Cost of a Music Video

How much does a decent music video cost?

In a Medium article, filmmaker Garrett Wesley Gibbons says a “shoestring budget” for a music video is $2,000 to $5,000, based on what he would charge. This includes everything – one full day of shooting, a small crew, editing, maybe one or two paid actors.

You can obviously shoot a music video for less than this, but it means you’ll do more of the work. If you have a small or nonexistent budget, you (and maybe your bandmates) are probably going to be the script writer, camera operator, director, actor, and editor.

If you can do all of that and you enjoy it, go for it. But most indie artists may not have the skills or desire to do all of that. And that’s why, if you want to make a music video on little to no budget, you have to make sure it will actually be worth it.

Music Videos vs. Short-Form Content

Right now, short-form content has way more ROI than a full produced music video for indie artists who are growing their fanbase.

You can shoot content on your phone, edit it yourself using a service like Kapwing, and get your music in front of tons of new people on social media. And all of this costs you nothing.

And remember, the point of a music video (or any kind of content) is to promote your music. So if you can make content that costs you nothing but gets your songs in front of strangers, why wouldn’t you focus on that rather than a full-fledged music video?

Should Indie Musicians Make Music Videos?

“Should” here depends on your music career goals and your artistic endeavors. If you want to make a music video to scratch a creative itch and you have the budget, go for it. But if you’re trying to grow your fanbase, focus on making short-form content for social media.

And the content doesn’t have to be super fancy. Burstimo, a music marketing agency, says that “a music video of you just performing live is perfectly fine.”

“If you have more than 100,000,000 streams, then absolutely [a music video] is worth it,” they say. “But I wouldn’t go spending huge amounts of money.”

Whenever you’re wondering if you should focus on a certain music marketing method, like music videos, ask yourself: how many artists have I discovered from this method?

For example, nowadays I discover artists on TikTok and Spotify playlists. So as an artist, that’s where I’m putting my marketing efforts.

So are music videos worth it for indie musicians? If you have the budget and you want to express your creativity – sure. To grow your fanbase – no music videos, just focus on simpler, more affordable content that promotes your music. 

#24. Avici, ‘Wake Up’ (1.23 billion views worldwide)

Every single one of these music videos has more than 1 billion views on YouTube.  Here’s the list, starting from the biggest of all time.

1. PSY, ‘Gangnam Style’

Release Date: July 15, 2012

Total Views: 2.768 billion worldwide.

2. Wiz Khalifa, ‘See You Again ft. Charlie Puth (Furious 7 Soundtrack)’

Release Date: April 6, 2015

Total Views: 2.455 billion worldwide.

3. Justin Bieber, ‘Sorry’

Release Date: October 22, 2015

Total Views: 2.268 billion worldwide

4. Mark Ronson, ‘Uptown Funk ft. Bruno Mars’

Release Date: November 19, 2014

Total Views: 2.216 billion worldwide.

5. Taylor Swift, ‘Blank Space’

Release Date: November 10, 2014

Total Views: 1.964 billion worldwide.

6. Taylor Swift, ‘Shake It Off’

Release Date: August 18, 2014

Total Views: 1.923 billion worldwide.

7. Enrique Iglesias, ‘Bailando (Español)’

Release Date: April 11, 2014

Total Views: 1.919 billion worldwide.

8. Major Lazer & DJ Snake, ‘Lean On (feat. MØ)’

Release Date: March 22, 2015

Total Views: 1.893 billion worldwide.

9. Adele, ‘Hello’

Release Date: October 22, 2015

Total Views: 1.885 billion worldwide.

10. Katy Perry, ‘Roar’

Release Date: September 5, 2013

Total Views: 1.808 billion worldwide.

11. Maroon 5, ‘Sugar’

Release Date: January 14, 2015

Total Views: 1.782 billion worldwide.

12. Meghan Trainor, ‘All About That Bass’

Release Date: June 11, 2014

Total Views: 1.760 billion worldwide.

13. Katy Perry, ‘Dark Horse (Official) ft. Juicy J’

Release Date: February 20, 2014

Total Views: 1.719 billion worldwide.

14. OneRepublic, ‘Counting Stars’

Release Date: May 31, 2013

Total Views: 1.667 billion worldwide.

15. Justin Bieber, ‘Baby ft. Ludacris’

Release Date: February 19, 2010

Total Views: 1.553 billion worldwide.

16. Sia, ‘Chandelier’

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Total Views: 1.534 billion worldwide.

17. Justin Bieber, ‘What Do You Mean?’

Release Date: August 30, 2015

Total Views: 1.514 billion worldwide.

18. Fifth Harmony, ‘Work from Home ft. Ty Dolla $ign’

Release Date: February 26, 2016

Total Views: 1.38 billion worldwide.

19. Passenger, ‘Let Her Go’

Release Date: July 25, 2012

Total Views: 1.334 billion worldwide.

20. Fifth Harmony, ‘Worth It ft. Kid Ink’

Release Date: March 28, 2015

Total Views: 1.310 billion worldwide.

21. Calvin Harris, ‘This Is What You Came For (Official Video) ft. Rihanna’

Release Date: June 16, 2016

Total Views: 1.308 billion worldwide.

22. Eminem, ‘Love The Way You Lie ft. Rihanna’

Release Date: August 5, 2010

Total Views: 1.257 billion worldwide.

23. LMFAO, ‘Party Rock Anthem’

Release Date: March 8, 2011

Total Views: 1.247 billion worldwide.

24. Avici, ‘Wake Up’

Release Date: July 29, 2013

Total Views: 1.23 billion worldwide.

25. Silentó, ‘Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)’

Release Date: June 25, 2015

Total Views: 1.214 billion worldwide.

26. MAGIC!, ‘Rude’

Release Date: December 5, 2013

Total Views: 1.187 billion worldwide.

27. Romeo Santos, ‘Propuesta Indecente’

Release Date: September 9, 2013

Total Views: 1.154 billion worldwide.

 28. Ed Sheeran, ‘Thinking Out Loud’

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Total Views: 1.505 billion worldwide.

29. Ellie Goulding, Love Me Like You Do’

Release Date: January 22, 2015

Total Views: 1.383 billion worldwide.

30. Shakira, ‘Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)’

Release Date: March 3, 2011

Total Views: 1.321 billion worldwide.

31. Drake, ‘Hotline Bling’

Release Date: October 26, 2015

Total Views: 1.142 billion worldwide.

32. J. Balvin, ‘Ay Vamos’

Release Date: August 29, 2014

Total Views: 1.141 billion worldwide.

33. Adele, ‘Rolling In the Deep’

Release Date: November 30, 2010

Total Views: 1.05 billion worldwide.

34. PSY, ‘Gentleman’

Release Date: April 13, 2013

Total Views: 1.039 billion worldwide.

35. Jennifer Lopez, ‘On The Floor ft. Pitbull’

Release Date: March 3, 2011

Total Views: 1.035 billion worldwide.

Maybe you need YouTube more than YouTube needs you.

Music videos and music-related video content account for just 4.3% of overall YouTube traffic, according to data now released by San Francisco-based Pexeso.  By stark comparison, gaming-related content accounts for 33.4% of the total, which mirrors the massive draw of channels like Twitch.

Entertainment-focused content also dwarfs music content, according to the data, with an 18.9% chunk.  Random content uploaded by people, bloggers, and YouTube personalities also beat music content, accounting for 14.3% of the pie.  Other categories like Sports and Film & Animation also trump music.

The 4.3 percent figure improves markedly when sliced by views.  That suggests a greater appetite for music video and broader music-related content, based on the typically shorter length of songs.  That said, the shorter length of music videos also introduces issues of lower engagement.

All of that starkly contrasts with earlier research, some of which shows music videos accounting for more than 40% of the total.   That figure has been heavily touted within the music industry, particularly when contrasting volume to compensation.   “Here’s a little statistic,” former UMG executive (and current Apple Music executive) Jimmy Iovine rattled last October.  “[YouTube] are 40% of consumption of music and 4% of the revenue. That’s a problem!”

“They know that doesn’t work. But do they care? I have no idea.”

YouTube, on the other extreme, recently claimed that music videos account for just 2.5% of the total.  “The final claim that the industry makes is that music is core to YouTube’s popularity,” the video giant’s Head of International Music Partnerships Christophe Muller declared last April.  “Despite the billions of views music generates, the average YouTube user spends just one hour watching music on YouTube a month.  Compare that to the 55 hours a month the average Spotify subscriber consumes.”

But perhaps those data points are merely weaponry in a debate over compensation, and ultimately, suspect and unreliable.  Enter a player like Pexeso, which is working to create a video detection and claiming system that functions like YouTube’s Content ID, but works for all video online.  Their chip in this game is a bit different, though tellingly, their result is closer to YouTube’s than those quoted by the music industry.

Either way, a lower percentage could explain YouTube’s inaction against a barrage of music industry complaints.  Instead of dramatically changing its lowball compensation policies towards rights owners, the Google-owned video behemoth has instead fired back with their own statistics.  That includes those tied to Content ID, which YouTube claims addressed roughly 99.5% of all copyright issues.

Images: top pizza slice image by theimpulsivebuy, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC by 2.0).  Other images supplied by Pexeso.  

Written while listening to Mozart Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 17, as played by Ingrid Jacoby.

Good news for artists. Music fans are streaming more music through on-demand audio streaming services than video streaming platforms, according to the latest data.

According to BuzzAngle, Americans are consuming more music through on-demand audio streaming services than through music video platforms.  That represents a huge shift, and a big development in a growing industry war against YouTube.

Here’s what the latest stats show.  In the first six months of 2016, Americans played more than 114 billion audio streams on streaming platforms like, Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal.  That same group played 95 billion video streams on music video platforms like YouTube.

What this information suggests is that people are starting to focus more on listening to music rather than just watching music videos.  And, perhaps more importantly, that YouTube’s vide0-heavy, messy UI isn’t a winner, after all.

Overall, streaming continues to explode.  Total on-demand streaming in the US grew by 58% in the first six months of 2016 when compared to the first six months of 2015.  But this increase was fueled by a rise in on-demand audio streaming, which grew by a massive 107%.  Video streaming grew at a lower rate of 23%.

YouTube and SoundCloud have ballooned on free content.  But there’s another nugget in this data: the majority of on-demand music streaming comes from paid subscription services like Spotify (30 million paying subscribers) and Apple Music (15 million paying subscribers) which charge users $9.99 per month. On these services, artists earn more revenue, as the per-stream royalty rate is higher than ad-supported free streaming services.

YouTube is the undisputed king of music videos, although YouTube now has a paid streaming service (YouTube Red).  That theoretically solves some monetization problems, though the actual number of people signed up to the paid service is unknown.  At present, the number of people paying for Red is thought to be a very small fraction of the one billion people who use the ad-supported free service.

Meanwhile, artist royalties from YouTube remain abysmal, with endless royalties statements reaffirming the issue.  In that light, the fact that people are now consuming more music through on-demand audio streaming, as opposed to video streaming, is good news for artists.

If you asked a hundred people to describe a typical ‘80s music video, no doubt you would get a lot of the same answers: Cheap special effects; Loud, ridiculous outfits and hairdos; Cheesy pantomime and stilted acting; Confusing, surreal imagery; and so on.

It may take the benefit hindsight to identify the hallmarks of music videos in the 2010s, but one is already apparent: Beats by Dre.

If you’ve spent any time watching music videos since the rise of YouTube, you have no doubt seen Dre’s products littering the cultural landscape.  Beats headphones, earbuds and portable speakers have become an all-too-common fixture in the mainstream pop music video world.

If you only saw it once, it’d be easy to miss.  They typically only take up a second or so of screen time, and as such probably wouldn’t have made much of an impact.  Instead, Dre was able to sell Beats to Apple at the end of 2014 for a whopping $3 billion.  Despite a reputation among audiophiles for being overhyped and overpriced, Beats have become the most known brand of audio equipment, using the same strategy that GEICO uses to advertise its insurance: Quantity is quality.

Just as GEICO blanketed the airwaves with ads, Beats by Dre has made its priority to be in every music video from 2006 to the end of history. Genre doesn’t matter, as long as it reaches a lot of viewers; artists as diverse as Miley Cyrus, Lil Wayne and Dierks Bentley have all let Dre use their music as a backdrop for his product.

Dre is the most notable example of someone using popular music as an advertisement opportunity, but he’s hardly the only corporate brand to do so.  To be clear, this is not the same thing as artists earning money from product endorsements, which is not new; as early as the ‘50s, Elvis Presley was recording a jingle for doughnuts.  Instead, the dominant trend is that the music itself functions as an advertisement.  This isn’t artists simply name-dropping brands they personally like either (which rappers have done since the dawn of the genre); companies instead are actively paying artists to mention their products in their songs.
It can be as blatant as Busta Rhymes’ “Pass the Courvoisier,” but it can be more subtle: Wrigley’s Gum paid Chris Brown a sizable sum to insert their slogan “Double your pleasure, double your fun” into “Forever,” one of the biggest hit songs of 2008.

Last night’s Super Bowl ad where a cell phone company forces Drake to alter the lyrics of “Hotline Bling” was more true-to-life than a lot of its viewers realized.

And whereas once this would be considered “selling out,” more and more artists see no issue with it nor experience any backlash. As just one of many examples, Pitbull began his smash hit “Give Me Everything” by openly boasting about his endorsement deal with Kodak. (The Pitbull Seal of Approval was not enough to keep Kodak from filing bankruptcy a year later. Perhaps this was not a wise use of Kodak’s money.)

In 1989, Neil Young proudly trumpeted his refusal to accept sponsorships deals in his video for “This Note’s for You,” which openly mocked Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston for selling Pepsi.  Young was celebrated in purist circles for sticking to his principles, but the idea of any artist taking such a stand now only seems quaint – even more so in the streaming era, where the already-difficult task of earning a living off of music seems ever harder.

Compared to musicians literally letting advertisers dictate their artistic output, the increasing product placement in music videos seems like a reasonable concession to commerce.  After all, music videos are essentially advertisements themselves, for the artist.  But as advertisements go, they’re expensive to make and there’s no guarantee that they’ll reach any eyeballs, and you can’t buy airtime for a music video like you can with a commercial.

More importantly, the budget for them typically comes directly out of the artists’ royalties (TLC cited the expense of their beloved, groundbreaking videos in the mid-‘90s as one reason they had to file for bankruptcy). In a time of massively decreased revenue for the music industry, it’s little surprise that more and more big-name artists are looking to outside sponsorships to help cover their expenses.

Lady Gaga made flashy spectacular music videos one of her hallmarks, but from the very beginning, even before her videos became ambitious, they were using Dre’s product placement checks to cover some of the budget. But it would be a different Gaga video, “Telephone,” that would bring the practice to its absolute pinnacle.

Gaga’s eight-minute-long video was notable for many reasons, but one of them was its blatant, unashamed product placement, including such unglamorous sponsors as Miracle Whip, Wonder Bread and the dating website PlentyOfFish.com. To put it mildly, it was distracting, so much so that one could miss that a Beats laptop was featured in it as well.

“Telephone” was not an experiment to be repeated, and very few videos have let brands break the flow of the video like that since. (One exception is All Time Low’s “I Feel Like Dancin’,” which tried to use a ‘Wayne’s World’-style self-aware sendup of its paid endorsement of Rockstar Energy.  Whether this was successful is up to you, but the song and video certainly didn’t set the world on fire.)  Instead, artists are using more seamlessly integratabtle products like shoes, perfume, cars, fancy alcohols… and of course Beats headphones, a thoroughly logical choice of prop for a music video. (There’s probably an amusing alternate universe where instead of Beats, it was Miracle Whip that dominated to the music videos of the 2010s.)

That said, it can still get obtrusive.  In David Fincher’s Rat Pack-themed video for Justin Timberlake’s “Suit & Tie,” JT scrolls through some sheet music on a distinctly modern tablet. Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire” features Alicia as a housewife and mother circa the 1950s, but she still listens to music on state-of-the-art Sony headphones from an mp3 player. (Previously in the video she listened to music on an old transistor radio. It’s hard to believe that up-to-date electronics and designer sunglasses were really part of the director’s vision.)

Again, music videos are essentially advertisements themselves.  Very few see them as an artistic product in themselves, so product placement is seen as less of an intrusion the way it is for TV shows and movies. (Ask any Marvel fan about the Fantastic Four shilling for Dodge in the middle of “Rise of the Silver Surfer,” an extreme low point in an already-terrible movie.)

If you’d like to learn how the headphones are in terms of quality, check out this review.

Still, there may be backlash yet. The new frontier in advertising is retroactively inserting product placement into the videos of the past. Imagine it; you could soon be seeing Michael Jackson wearing some Beats in one of his classic videos. Viewers have been mostly accepting of products in their videos, but this may yet be one ad too far.

Todd Nathanson (aka: Todd in the Shadows) has been making video reviews of pop songs and one hit wonders from throughout the ages since 2009. Check out his channel!

On Wednesday, YouTube finally announced the details around YouTube Red, its first big stab into a premium, ad-free tier.  Here’s everything we know so far, from both a creator and consumer standpoint.

1. Forget the name ‘YouTube Music Key’

It’s now just called ‘YouTube Music,’ and it’s part of ‘YouTube Red’.  In terms of timetable, YouTube would only say that Music was coming “soon” and “later this year,” with other countries outside the US coming 2016.  YouTube Music will be a big, big part of YouTube’s premium expansion.

2. ‘YouTube Red’ is the broader premium service that starts October 28th as an ad-free iteration.

In less than week, YouTube users will be able to pay $9.99 a month for ad-free access, along with other features like offline mobile access.  That covers different platforms, with one catch…

3. ‘YouTube Red’ will cost $12.99 for iOS users.

This was confirmed by YouTube, based on a decision  not to absorb Apple’s $3-per-month surcharge for App Store subscriptions.  There’s early talk of a simple workaround, similar to Spotify, though at this stage it’s unclear whether Apple will enforce its cut.

4. YouTube Red subscriptions also cover mainline YouTube, YouTube Gaming, and YouTube Kids.

And of course, YouTube Music.  And, maybe some more (see #10).

5. Creators can’t really opt-out of YouTube Red.

Anyone who doesn’t participate in ‘YouTube Red,’ ‘YouTube Music,’ or any other iteration will have their channels and videos set to ‘private’.  Basically, if you don’t sign the contract, you’re dead to YouTube (and your fans on YouTube).

6. Yes, there’s a big porn site called ‘RedTube’

That’s definitely going to complicate things for the all-important, 15-year-old male demographic.

7. The YouTube Music app will be similar to YouTube’s mainline app.

YouTube is still unveiling aspects of the app, but this isn’t a radical departure.  It will have a three-tab structure, with a toggle that allows people to move from video to music-only mode.  Perhaps the coolest part will be instant playlisting based on thumbs-upping and favoriting, as well as smart recommendations based on ‘learned’ musical preferences.

8. YouTube Music will offer offline music access.

This could be the coolest feature, especially since its always been missing from YouTube.  No word yet on exactly how many songs and playlists can be cached.

9. YouTube Music will have artist pages of some sort.

YouTube was vague on this during its Wednesday announcement, though so far, YouTube Music ‘artist pages’ look like mere collections of artist videos (which sounds sort of like an expansion of artist playlists currently on YouTube).

10. YouTube Red will initially feature ad-free content, but special, premium content is next.

Eventually, YouTube is aiming to feature premium content for premium-paying subscribers, but for now, the focus is on ad-free content.

11. ‘YouTube Originals’ are already happening.

A big part of the premium-only tier will be YouTube Originals, which will heavily feature top, YouTube-bred stars in original productions.  Some portion of those productions will only be available to paying subscribers.  A big player in that expansion will be PewDiePie, among other YouTube natives.

12. It looks like YouTube Red and YouTube Music accounts will also include Google Play Music All Access.

This certainly makes sense, given the huge overlap. According to early information revealed by YouTube executives, Google Play Music All Access will be included in YouTube Red premium account costs.  But Google is a big, dysfunctional place, so let’s see what happens once YouTube Red and YouTube Music are live.

13. YouTube says it will pay a “majority” of Red revenues back to content creators.

Beyond that, we’re not sure of exact payout terms here (chime in if you know more).  So, let’s see.

14. YouTube Red will pay creators based on actual views.

That sounds logical, and addresses a huge complaint against streaming services like Spotify.  But it’s unclear whether that translates cleanly into YouTube Music.

15. Major content owners are also part of YouTube Red.

Mega-media companies like 21st Century Fox, NBCUniversal and Time Warner are part of Red, and currently part of the ad-supported mainline YouTube service.  According to the New York Times, those partners will receive 55 percent of the revenue from premium subscriptions.

16. YouTube has also reportedly threatened to eliminate content from major media companies that refuse to participate in Red.

That’s also according to the New York Times.  “The executives said YouTube had implied that if they didn’t provide content for subscribers, there was a chance their ad-supported content would not be available on YouTube in the United States,” the Times reported.

17. YouTube Red will have a free, one-month trial window.

It’s unclear if users will be asked to submit their credit cards upfront, like Apple Music (and subsequently face automatic charges if they forget to cancel in time).