Is it a good idea to have the band on the CD or Video?

Is it a good idea to have the band on the CD and in the video?

A current argument within the music industry is whether it is beneficial or not for band members to feature in the video. A number of media critics are of the view that the popularity of many bands is down to firstly its music and secondly the bands members. If a band is trying to market a song they have recorded then surely they should appear in the promotional video in order to further enhance the popularity of this song? Many bands however are hugely successful without featuring in their music videos. For example, Gorillaz are yet to feature in a video, but yet they have still sold millions of records. In fact they have actually made it iconic that they don’t feature in their videos and have instead created cartoon versions of themselves.

Genre is a major factor. Within the pop and rock industry the lead singers personality and talent is promoted in the video. By way of contrast, in a choreographed dance video, the audience would not expect the video to feature the lead singer.

My personal preference is for some of the band members to feature on-screen together with some form of visual imagery to give a good balance.

The second debate is whether a band needs to feature on the CD cover. Is it necessary to achieve increased sales? In an age of mass consumption where so many album covers strive to create individualism and stand out from the crowd, perhaps not. I feel branding is more important than the band appearingf on the CD cover. Even if the band does not feature on a CD cover, if the branding is right a consumer will quickly associate the CD with the band. In terms of accessibility and promotion of band image the CD cover is perhaps not the best media available. The rise of band websites and online material such as Drowned In Sound and NME online means that the crafting of a bands persona can be done simply without having to rely on the traditional visual message of a video or CD cover.

For our music video we have decided to include only the front man in the video rather than incorporating the whole band. We have assumed that, as with most bands, the lead singer is the most iconic. For example Muse – Matthew Belamy is seen as the most recognisable member of the band.