Taylor Swift dominated the VMAs, but do music videos still matter?

We're acold from the days of blockbuster euphony videos playing back-to-back connected TV channels similar MTV.

Catchy hooks and sleek creation routines present predominate societal media feeds, each hoping to halt radical successful their tracks agelong capable for them to springiness a caller opus a chance.

The improvement of this scenery was cemented past twelvemonth erstwhile MTV axed 5 euphony channels successful the UK aft astir 40 years of rolling footage.

But contempt the broadcaster reacting to the changes successful viewing habits, its Video Music Awards (VMAs) inactive look to clasp powerfulness implicit euphony A-listers.

Pop euphony heavyweights, including Taylor Swift, Madonna and Charli XCX, were among those who turned up connected Sunday to judge prizes and deliver melodramatic performances.

Cinematographer Melissa Cofie tells BBC Newsbeat that portion these grant shows "may look precise performative to others", they are "so important" to those successful the euphony industry.

"The sleepless nights, the months, the weeks that it takes to enactment unneurotic a euphony video, it's astir arsenic overmuch enactment arsenic you would enactment into a movie itself," she says.

But bash euphony videos inactive clasp the aforesaid value for fans arsenic they erstwhile did?

Cofie, who has directed euphony videos, feels their intent has evolved implicit the past mates of decades.

For her, they're much of a mode to "connect with artists" and for them to explicit their vision, alternatively than a important portion of their property tally similar they were successful the 2000s.

Pop stars similar Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo are among those who inactive thin connected videos heavy to physique retired the ocular satellite for each of their albums' eras.

Swift, who broke the grounds for astir MTV VMA wins ever past weekend, is known for large fund productions which fans trawl done for Easter eggs - clues that could constituent to thing other she has planned.

She besides often enlists the assistance of her star-studded interaction book, with her recent video for Opalite jam-packed with celebrated faces, including Graham Norton, Lewis Capaldi, Cillian Murphy, Domhnall Gleeson and Jodie Turner-Smith.

However, the euphony video was released exclusively connected Spotify and Apple Music successful February, and did not look connected YouTube until 48 hours later.

Industry analysts speculated astatine the clip that the exclusivity play was owed to a alteration successful the US illustration rules, wherever songs streamed connected YouTube volition nary longer number towards the Top 100.

This alteration came into spot successful January, with YouTube saying it was ending its decade-long concern with Billboard, external arsenic it claimed the illustration uses an "outdated look that weights subscription-supported streams higher than ad-supported".

"This doesn't bespeak however fans prosecute with euphony contiguous and ignores the monolithic engagement from fans who don't person a subscription," it added.

And portion astir artists don't person Swift-level budgets to commencement with, this alteration whitethorn person further discouraged US artists' to propulsion a batch of wealth into creating elaborate euphony videos.

However, successful planetary markets similar the satellite of K-Pop, creating visually aesthetic euphony videos featuring polished choreography has go indispensable erstwhile promoting the enactment to a planetary audience.

The genre's superstars similar BTS and Blackpink often besides merchandise creation signifier videos and behind-the-scenes clips alongside accepted euphony videos.

These variations connection them much contented to clip up for societal media, and besides helps thrust up their streaming numbers and planetary illustration positions.

Cofie feels the emergence of platforms similar TikTok, Instagram and YouTube has "100%" changed the mode videos are consumed and therefore, however they are created.

But she doesn't spot this arsenic a "blow" to the manufacture and isn't "discouraged that things are changing truthful quickly".

"It benignant of pushes america to think: 'Okay, however tin each scene, each inactive beryllium the 1 that captures people's attention?'," she says.

"We don't person 5 minutes anymore. We've really got 2 minutes, sometimes less.

"I deliberation it pushes america arsenic creatives to deliberation however tin we get the constituent crossed rapidly successful the champion mode possible."

Gener8ion and Swedish rapper Yung Lean's cinematic euphony video for their collaboration way Storm is simply a testament to however a abbreviated mesmerising ocular infinitesimal tin marque a opus spell viral online.

The country from wrong the afloat video sees Lean, acting arsenic a teenage bully, basal amongst a radical of dancers who are besides dressed successful schoolhouse uniforms as they execute hypnotic, synchronised choreography, external.

They recreated the regular astatine the VMAs, and portion it mislaid retired connected the coveted video of the twelvemonth grant to Swift's The Fate of Ophelia, clips of the show erstwhile again person flooded societal media.

Cofie admits it has been "really tough" to travel up with "new originative ideas" similar this since abbreviated clips person boomed post-pandemic, but says she is continually inspired by caller euphony videos.

And her proposal to artists and crews who inactive privation to make euphony videos?

"It's cliche, but conscionable to proceed being originative and conscionable exploring each country of your mind, immoderate thought that you have, conscionable bash it," she says.

"Don't interest that it's already been done and it's not archetypal due to the fact that each and each person's mentation oregon position is different."