Research

Music Videos usually accompany a short song with lyrics. They are commonly used as a means of promoting the sale of music recordings. Before being called 'music videos' they were usually just 'promotional films/clips' because that is the general purpose of them. "Music videos use a range of styles of filmmaking, including animation, live action filming, documentaries, and non-narrative approached such as abstract film. Some music videos blend different styles, such as animation and live action. "

In 1964, The Beatles started creating short promotional films for their songs which were then broadcast on televisions throughout the US. This meant that they didn't have to make live appearances all the time yet their songs would still be promoted to the public. By the time they stopped touring in 1966, their promotional films, like their recordings, were becoming increasingly sophisticated. Their short videos were using rhythmic editing , slow motion, and reversed film effects.

In 1981, MTV was launched beginning a new era of 24/7 music on television and it has grown to play a central role in music marketing. Artists such as 'Adam & the Ants' and 'Madonna' owe a great amount of their success to the skillful construction and seductive appeal of their videos.
Top of the Pops also played a big role in promoting music. Bands and record labels felt the competition to produce something good so that the viewers would want to see it again the next week. It was also censorous in its approach to video content, so another method was for an act to produce a promo that would be banned or edited. This would then use the resulting public controversy to promote the release.

As in other types of film-making, music videos started to be censored as some of the content was explicit and not suitable for everyday television. The first video to be rejected by MTV was 'Girls on Film' by 'Duran Duran' as it contained full frontal nudity. "Rock Video Violence" was also explored by Entertainment Tonight and focused on the impact of MTV rock video violence on the youth of the early 1980's. Madonna also created a lot of controversy in music video censorship as her marketing of sexuality amplified over time. 'Justify My Love' was banned by MTV due to its depiction of sadomasochism (sexual or non-sexual gratification in the infliction of pain or humiliation upon or by another person), homosexuality, group sex and cross dressing.

Finally, the internet has now become an effective way of promoting singles. MTV itself now provides streams of artists' music videos, while AOL's recently launched AOL Music and features a vast collection of advertising supported streaming videos. The iTunes store has even began selling music videos for use on Apple's iPod with video playback capability.

Information from Wikipedia.org