Music videos aren't dying, you just aren't watching them - CHOPS WITH Joe Howat
Downtown Kayoto - Came Thru (Directed by Joe Howat)
Music videos have undergone a significant evolution in distribution and consumption over the decades. Initially, they thrived on cable channels like MTV which made it’s debut in 1981. MTV played a pivotal role in propelling various music genres, including hip-hop, rock, and pop, to mainstream success. By showcasing music videos and providing platforms like "Yo! MTV Raps'' and "Headbangers Ball," the channel exposed audiences to diverse musical styles and cultures. This exposure not only broadened the reach of these genres but also helped to shape their identities and cement their place in pop culture.
With the rise of digital platforms like YouTube, music videos found a new home online, offering artists greater accessibility and wider reach. This shift in consumption patterns marked a significant challenge for cable channels like MTV, which had traditionally been the primary platform for music video premieres and rotations. As audiences gravitated towards online platforms where they could watch music videos on-demand and for free, MTV's viewership declined, leading to a decrease in its cultural influence and contributing to its eventual downfall as the dominant force in music video broadcasting.
More recently, the emergence of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram has introduced new challenges for music videos. These platforms prioritise short, attention-grabbing content, leading to a decline in viewership for traditional music videos. With users' dwindling attention spans, there's less focus on longer-form content like music videos, as shorter, bite-sized clips dominate feeds.
This shift underscores the need for artists and directors to adapt their approach to create content that resonates within the constraints of these platforms. While the landscape may have changed, music videos continue to evolve, finding innovative ways to capture audiences amidst the ever-changing digital landscape.
I caught up with Joe Howat, a 21-year-old music video director, photographer, and editor hailing from South London. We talked about the current state of music videos in the digital landscape, including the spike in creativity, the debate over the decline of music videos, the importance of music videos for artists' identities, influences on Joe's creative process, and his approach to challenges in the industry.
CHO: Thank you for taking the time to talk with Kids These Days Mag. The first question I have for you is what are your thoughts on the current state of music videos in today's digital landscape?
JOE: Appreciate you for having me.
I think in the past couple of years there’s been a spike in creativity I feel like. People have realised that you only have 10-20 seconds to capture the audience's attention before they scroll to the next video. So therefore you have to make it standout to the hundreds of other videos you see on your Instagram feed. But this also means that there are a bunch of great music videos that are very under-appreciated due to the fact they don’t work with the short attention span of most audiences.
CHO: We can both agree on the spike in creativity in recent years in the music video industry. That being said, there’s been a lot of debate in recent years on whether music videos are ‘dying’ or in decline. Why do you think a lot of people feel this way?
JOE: Yeah it’s a tricky one. I wouldn’t say they are dying, it's more so they are just evolving. Due to the current state of the music industry, labels and artists don’t put anywhere near as much money into their videos as they used to. They are more focused on short content clips to post on their socials, which is now more important to them than music videos are unfortunately (most of the time). But there are workarounds for sure. Luckily for me, my style incorporates multiple different scenes within the same video majority of the time, meaning each scene can be used as a different short content piece for the artist to promote on socials. So it’s just about trying to adapt and find that balance for me, without altering my vision just for the sake of Tik-Tok.
Downtown Kayoto - Changed It
CHO: I hear you, all labels care about is numbers and it’s hard for anyone to blame them for that, so it makes sense why we’re seeing this shift now of artists prioritising short form content. If we were to focus on the artist, as a music video director ~ why do you think it’s still important for them to put in the time and resources to make music videos?
JOE: For sure I agree. I think that music videos are a very important part of an artist’s identity and as a fan of an artist I want to see what world that song lives in visually.
There’s been various music videos where I actually disliked the song prior to watching it, but because the video was so good it changed my opinion about the song itself.
But most of the time, watching a 10-20 second snippet is not long enough to fully immerse the viewer into the song/video, so music videos are still crucial in my opinion.
CHO: I definitely share in your experience of watching a MV and coming out with an evolved connection to the song afterwards.
With the pool of talented directors capable of elevating a song into something remarkable growing, who are the directors you admire or look up to in the industry?
JOE: To be honest, I Don’t really take as much inspiration from other directors in the music video industry at the moment. But starting out, Dave Free, Valentine Petit and Dexter Navy were the directors who I looked up to the most. Now I take more influence from feature film directors. Mostly Dennis Villeneueve, the Safdie brothers, Chris Nolan. And films such as Waves, Good Time and The Place Beyond the Pines. Which all have influence on my current work for sure.
Downtown Kayoto - Lite (Directed by Joe Howat)
CHO: Long live Valentine Petite.
How do you find that your shift in inspiration from music video directors to feature film directors has influenced your creative process?
JOE: I think in my previous work, there’s a lot of technique focused camera work/editing but there’s not a lot of context to it all, which is something I’m trying to avoid now. I’m essentially trying to combine the storytelling with the same technique based approach. But making sure to have everything or most of it contextualised. So that’s why I’ve started taking influence from feature film directors, as every single technique and shot is used to tell the story.
CHO: As a fellow director I would like to congratulate you on your work so far as it’s been very impressive given how young you are, and I look forward to seeing your career progress. My last question for you is how do you deal with the challenges and pressures of your role as a 21 year old director in the industry & what keeps you going?
JOE: Appreciate that man, I think the main thing I try to do is just keep the same mindset from when I was younger, which is just the obsession to make a good video. Instead of stressing about the budget, the music label not liking it, etc…
So whenever I’m writing ideas for a project, I always try to keep that mindset, making sure that I’m creating the video for myself not for anyone else.
CHO: I think it’s so important for creators to give themselves the freedom to create for themselves, prioritising the externals like the numbers/pleasing others is just another way back into the rat race. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you, thank you for your time.
JOE: Exactly man. Appreciate you for having me!