When A Music Video Makes You A Fan

Friday, December 07, 2012

When A Music Video Makes You A Fan

There are many different ways fans of an artist can discover the artists they become fans of. When I was a teen, music video shows -- like Signal Exchange and CCMtv -- were big parts of my after school television viewing and I would be subject to music videos of new artists and styles I wouldn't typically listen to. While YouTube seems to be the main source for music video watching today, there seems to be less of a need for music video shows and more accessibility to the videos themselves.

When I was younger, videos like "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline, "Crawl" by The Walter Eugenes (ha, it was two guys chasing each other around in public mixed with professional wrestling footage. it was hard not to like), and Switchfoot's silly "Chem 6A" that won me over (Note: I was going to include this animated pic I once found online from the Switchfoot video but it's a bit too repetitive and distracting to include here. So check it out here. :) ). I believe it was even dc Talk's "Jesus Is Just Alright" and/or "The Hardway" videos that inspired me to check them out. Typically, it's a band's live show that grabs my attention -- or, nowadays, just giving an album a serious listen -- but music videos, especially in my pre-JesusFreakHideout days, were once a chief source of finding new music.

So, now that I've dated myself painfully, my question to you - the reader of all ages:

What music videos, if any, have caused you to actually like an artist that you previously may not have?

Comments

1. Marc said...

I loved Veggie Tales growing up (who didn't?), and I still do. But there is one thing in particular about Veggie Tales that changed my life. I received Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie for my 11th birthday (or sometime thereabouts), and naturally I loved it, but what I really loved was the Special Features (particularly the "Bloopers" reel :)). Well, one of the special features was a couple of music videos, and one of them was "Mission Pieces" from the Newsboys. Prior to this, I have very little-to-no interest in music (though my brother liked Rich Mullins, so I heard him a lot), but all that changed when I discovered the Newsboys; I bought their CD Thrive with my own money (a big deal for an 11-year old ;), and just like that, not only did the Newsboys become my favorite band for at least four or five years, but I became a huge fan of music in general.

2. Darius said...

I discovered Flyleaf by watching their music video, "I'm so Sick" on the Gospel Music Channel I believe. I fell in love with it, and I fell in love with her voice. I remember my sister watching it too, and getting mad at me because she thought it looked demonic. Fortunately, she became a fan of them later.

I also remember having the WOW hits DVDs from the early 2000s. Old music videos from Audio Adrenaline, ZOEgirl, Jump5, Stacie Orrico, TobyMAC, Relient K, Newboys

... wow now I feel dated. Thanks :(

3. Aaron said...

I've always loved music and am a big fan of the Beatles and music like that. I was watching an old "WOW" dvd years ago and a bonus video was the Elms "Hey,Hey" I was hooked. I've loved that band ever since.

4. Jess said...

Let's see... back when the M in GMC stood for music, my little brothers and I watched their music video blocks every day after school and on the weekends. Those videos introduced us to many bands and artists, like B.Reith, Flyleaf, and Family Force 5, and increased our love for the ones we already knew, like TobyMac and Skillet. Today I can go watch any of their music videos anytime I want on Youtube, but it seemed more fun to just wait and watch for them on TV, didn't it?

5. Micah Garnett said...

RED - Death of Me
Children 18:3 - All My Balloons
And Then There Were None - Reinventing Robert Cohn

6. Josh said...

Music videos were a big part of how I heard and discovered new music when I was a kid. My parents used to get my brother and I the WOW and X 2004/5/etc... dvds every year. There were some videos I saw that immediately got my attention, but they still introduced me to many bands even if I didn't get into them right away.

Some standouts for me are:
Project 86 - "The Spy Hunter" -> Introduced me to the band that would change my perspective on music. (Just saw them play two nights ago as well.)
Relient K - "Pressing On" -> My first introduction to the great RK.
Emery - "Studying Politics" -> Interestingly enough, I never made it past the screaming in the music video for "Walls" in one of the previous years to hear how awesome Emery was.
Underoath - "Reinventing Your Exit" - It was an interesting music video, but I couldn't believe that Aaron was singing all of that while playing drums.

I could go on and on, but music videos were definitely a huge part of my childhood and formative years for listening to and discovering new music.

7. Tim said...

Music videos are still a huge part of how I, and lots of other people, learn about new music. Doesn't anyone watch TVU anymore? Music videos are the main way I get into a band. I can't imagine my album collection without them.

8. Daniel said...

Discovered one of my favorite bands, Sent By Ravens, by watching their "New Fire" music video!

9. Kev said...

Showbread's video with so many camera angles mixed into the rhythm of the band playing in black&red against the white background for Mouth Like a Magazine conveyed to me an original, intense with flair, catchy attitude along with comical to extreme diction, facial expressions, mannerisms, and weird noises. Beside music videos, was anyone else touched by hearing a religious song unexpectedly at a big event, before really liking that song or band? This week at MMA Seattle (Mixed Martial Arts) for 3.41 million viewers, they played the whole AWESOME GOD rap by R Swift for the introduction of Benson Henderson, who defended his title belt vs Nate Diaz, and then used the stage for the gospel (like Mattie Montgomery of For Today).

10. Travis Eden said...

I saw the music video by The Afters for "Lift Me Up." Although I had already heard the song before, and had listened to the band in passing, that music video and that song touched my heart and I can't wait to see them in concert again (The first time I saw them was at The Rock & Worship Roadshow 2011)

11. Julia said...

I got into Hawk Nelson when I saw their music video for California. It made me laugh so hard! It also made me interested in the band and I started listening to more of their songs, then ended up buying their albums.
I love watching mucic videos, but they usally just increase my love or interest in a band. I usally never watch music videos by artitsts I don't know.

12. Patrick Jackson said...

FlyLeaf's all around me video i watched in late 08 or so(yes i had heard the song a few times before)i've been a fan every since.

13. J L said...

I found The Chariot by watching their video for David De La Hoz.

14. Tucker said...

I heard about most of my bands through that video game "Guitar Praise", but I started liking them when I saw their music videos. My prior "Guitar Praise" days, I thought Family Force Five and tobyMac were annoying and way too loud, but the music videos kind of... gave me a connection to the artist. Soon, Flyleaf's "All Around Me" drew me in (the one with the paint dripping off the wall) and Skillet's "Whisper's in the Dark". Music videos are basically why I started listening to music.

Friday, December 07, 2012