When I listen to music, I focus on the sound, the song. The foundational drum beat, the strumming pattern of the guitar chords, the melody of the vocals, the bass, the solos. The structure of the song and its harmonies, and literally how it makes me feel. If it’s a song from when I was a kid, there are feelings and memories associated with when I listened to it back then.
When I watch a music video, I primarily focus on the band, or the characters in the video and its plot. The video itself might tell its own story and this is obviously more up front. To me, music videos should be an accurate visual representation of a song.
Not to say that music videos are unnecessary, not to any extent. I very much enjoy watching music videos (I *am* from the 90’s MTV generation after all). When a music video at least contains elements of a musical performance (shots of the (full) band playing the song for instance), this gives me a much more complete portrayal. Music should be able to stand on its own feet without a visual aid, but if done right, a deserving and unique dimension can provide an even better perspective. But it’s got to match the message of the music – otherwise it comes across to me as artificial and unnecessary.
– Jordan
