The Death of The Music Video
For decades, the music video has been a staple of pop music. Everyone can think of at least one iconic music video — Michael Jackson’s Thriller, Madonna’s Like A Prayer, Britney Spears’ Toxic, Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance, etc.
But recently, things have felt different. Music videos are still around, but their presence isn’t as felt today as it has in the 1990s or 2000s or even the 2010s. Many people have noticed that new music videos aren’t getting the same amount of views as they used to, but is there more to this phenomenon? Is the music video truly dead? And if so… what’s replaced it?
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The Death of The Music Video
@MicTheSnare
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
next video will be a new DDD, thanks for being patient and watching these other videos :))))
@joesmith-es1zy
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
They use visualizers because you can't make a music video for every single song, at least depending on how many songs are on the album. My favorite singer uses a specific visualizer for most of her songs that don't have music videos. The visualizer is a bit distracting though.
@Tony-bf3tf
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I wish Michael Jackson was here
@acfan8253
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
The thing is very simple, almost everyone that works in the film, music and literacy industry are just plants. Nepo babies with no talent and a big PR and marketing campaign.
Politic preachers, also well backed up with budget and marketing.
There is nothing new, no new talent, anything authentic or worth seeing.
The decline of all forms of entertainment is due to a lack of actual talent and original art.
@Edg5mx
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
music videos are dead, nobody wanna invest, music labels don't wanna spend on them. Plus artists don't wanna produce them on their nickel. Plus young people only follow the beat, they don't demand something else from the artist anymore.
@itsalie
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
i would say the problem is. whats popular, sucks! and the majority public, has no and/or bad taste.
@12345fowler
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Music videos were already in a short decline right around Y2K and the explosion of shared digital music (Napster etc.) I am not willing to give right to the then label directors when they were saying "piracy" will "kill" label creativity and business model by the lack of funds but it played a role.
@GabrielEmilCortez
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
It's Govif
@GabrielEmilCortez
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
KATSEYE is also a part of this problem
@dlovasy
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
The death of the music video began when MTV started replacing music programming with reality shows. And that was more than 20 years ago…
@Gizmo_5A
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I don't think music videos are dead , short form and and fast paced content from social media platforms like tiktok,instagram have driven away the attention to long form content, people no longer care about music videos that's why these days we have many people knowing a popular song but have never seen the music video for example many people know Tame Impala's "the less i know the better "and "let it happen" but have never seen the music video and most probably when they here those two songs in their minds they start to think about the Ryan Gosling tame impala tiktok edits and to sum up , Music videos are expensive so it's easier and cheaper to create lyric videos and visualisers.
@noyourewrong599
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
4:10 isn't a "visualizer" just a few short 5 sec clips put into a repeating slide show?
not necessarily edited to the tempo, but just anything short playing on repeat
you may even call a slideshow a visualizer
@woosix1
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I remember music videos from the 2010s and I hated it! rip bozzo rest in piss
@Santorini-l1t
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Music videos are still popular in india
@RobertdeDios-b6y
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
The concept of a music video is dead there are still MVs but having it tell a story is Gone.
@mikmowmil
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Social media like tiktok has killed the art form. People are just not holding their attention for 4 minutes anymore.
@r4mflowers
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
babe not only mv, but the music as well
@MaDKrEvEdKo
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Music videos just got shittified, like everything else.
Tiktoks sell songs, you go to a top 10 every year – it's a song that was trending on TikTok. There's no need to do it unless you really want to(and that's if your label lets you).
Like most things now, shittification is about less effort, resource investment, risk + more optimization = bigger profits.
Even the Birds of a Feather video really was made just to follow the TikTok trend because looking at the album, you could never guess this song would get that big. It felt like an intimate little song, a deep cut, but here we are. An intimate love song getting plastered all over social media posts that have nothing to do with the song contents or the vibe, but hey, its the vibe that the social media perception of it has.
Fuck, we live in shitty times unless we actively participate in finding meaninful CONTENT, damn.
@chillyidiot
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
thanks for sharing this perspective! in kpop, for example, music videos are VERY far from dying. you see, kpop heavily relies on "concepts," the visual aesthetic crafted as a part of the branding for the music, such as photobooks, music videos' production and even performance costumes. they're fundamental to the "comeback" cycle, and there are many kinds done by idols: girl crush, cute, sexy, horror, school, even fantasy, among others that can subvert or innovate the themes these carry. the music videos not only a) visually establish the vibe the song has, b) showcase the coreography for the song, and c) capture the beauty of the artists for fanservice, but also may be used to tell a specific self-conclusive story (such as newjeans' "ditto") or build into an existing narrative (such as bts' "run," canonically part of the "BU"). i assume jpop mvs also share similar functions, since these industries function in a similar manner. however, they (according to my experience as a j-idol girl group fan) tend to be more complicated to access for international fans because they seem to be blocked in places outside of japan. loved the video!
@lostsoulcitizen
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
"the DEATH of DEATH. You're immortal now!" had me rolling
@Starboyzz-c4y
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Thats why beyonce Hasnt make a music video for over 6 years. Music videos arent irrelevant anymore because most of current artists fell off, creativity of making music dosent exist anymore,its just repetitive & boring and some listeners prefer music from new artists, some listeners prefer music from old artists and from 2010s. Its not bad, because pop music will never fell off and like you said, if a song is popular and has something unique, it isnt necessarily to have a music video. Anxiety, not like us & births of a feather, as a example, became popular before the release of the videos. Tiktok also ruined nowadays music. I geniuely hate it.
@theduckthief
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
would suggest checking out kpop if you want to see music videos alive and thriving
@gayairports
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
i don't listen to popular artists so seeing that 125 MILLION views aren't seen as anywhere near impressive felt completely crazy to me for a second there lol
@xcreatmusic
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Artists with good music videos: Ren and Twenty one Pilots
@kurikuri98
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
This video is 7 months old, yes, but I'm coming in to say that Kpop still very much values music videos and some very interesting MVs are being released in that area! They also play a very vital role in promotion
@michael567jober
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
heavy metal still make alotta music videos
@billycallanan4314
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I think they still work for smaller and Indie artists. Pop groups/singers still receive more coverage on mainstream platforms without much need for promotion, but there's a lot more promotion that needs to be done by smaller or Indie groups/singers to have a wider reach, as they do not chart as frequently. Even a larger group like Fontaines D.C. still release high-quality videos to promote singles, and they are a group that has found wider success. The same could be said for older artists, too, groups whose audiences aren't looking at TikTok, Reels, etc. (basically most short-form content platforms) They are still interested in the visual output of the band as much as their musical output.
@EmilStudzinski
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I’ve been wondering why artists just don’t sell the screen space in their videos to the highest bidder. Why not make a lyric video with a background that’s like an animated screensaver with a brand logo: Doritos, Bed Bath & Beyond, Wendy’s, Target, etc. Who honestly cares at this point? People today have totally accepted the blatant manipulations of capitalism at the expense of even a superficial concern with artistic integrity. With the disruption of traditional revenue streams in the arts industries, leaving creators unpaid while executives make millions in music, film, and television, it’s obvious that whatever arts are left in the coming decades are going to be limited to amateurs and hobbyists on TikTok and YouTube, and will probably take the form of teens dancing stupidly. I can’t wait until the TikTok equivalent of Stanley Kubrick emerges and blesses us with his fifteen-second reimagining of 2001: A Space Odyssey. But seriously, this may be the worst time for the popular arts since they became marketable around the beginning of the 20th Century. Hell, it might be the worst time since the emergence of art, period. I’m absolutely convinced that the average Neanderthal observing a series of cave paintings by torchlight had a more sophisticated understanding of art’s role in civil society, and a greater sense of aesthetic appreciation than the average human being today. I’ve always thought that one of the worst Radiohead lyrics appeared in “The Bends”, when Thom Yorke sings, “I wish it was the 60s, I wish I could be happy”. But now, I get it. I too wish it was the 60s.
@BrutusMcCrunch
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Pop music is garbage
@orvilleredenpiller338
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
It’s incredible to find a YouTuber that isn’t actively trying to be anti-funny with every single joke. Great job.
@Uhohlisa
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
This is depressing as fuck
@NekoAustinV1134
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I say it depends. For some communities, music videos are an important part of the experience. For others, they could care less. I notice a fondness for music videos among the gaming, animation, and virtual communities. Although I can say this is exclusive to Asian communities, I do notice this outside of Asian circles, as well. A fairly popular example would be a Puerto Rican female vocalist who goes by the name Ironmouse, whom sang covers and originals in multiple languages. And of course there are those who do lyric videos, much like what's heard on the GiveHeartRecords channel. Nathan Sharp's lyric videos are especially visual interesting, with songs like Sand Castle Kingdoms and Unaligned.
Although I'm a bit late, with yesterday being when I started watching your videos, I'm still going to say something. The split into different communities is something that I've been observing and trying to comment on. It's curious.
@lachampione8520
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
As a hip hop head. I can tell you wholeheartedly .. MUSIC VIDEOS IN HIP HOP is deceased .. how did we go from hype Williams , director X .. to rappers with guns, drugs in front of a hellcat surrounded by booty cheeks . Oh how we have fallen ! 😢
@ryzalchung8976
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
Music video still much alive in K-pop. For those outside of K-pop, music video is not what it used to be. The music videos nowaday looks repetitive, no creativity, boring. Some don't even release music video.
@djfantomcat
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I think about this often. I'm an independent artist, and I love the idea of hiring a friend to make a music video to promote a new song. I just worry that with the current environment, it would just be money better spent elsewhere 🫤
@CodenameRawTV
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
I'm so sick of lazy vizualizers, lyric videos, and "music videos" of artists in empty studios interacting with a single prop shot from a singular angle…..
@naataanwaas
May 8, 2026 at 5:14 pm
apt. 1.1 billion views
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