The core point of making a music video, as it has been for decades, is promotion and artistic expression, but in the digital age, its importance has only multiplied.The most fundamental change is the move from the music video as a grand "Event" to a piece of "Content."In the 2000s: A music video release was a scheduled, highly promoted event on television. It was the only way most people would see the visuals, giving it immense cultural weight and a sense of scarcity.Today: Music videos exist in a world of infinite scroll. They are a necessary part of an artist's digital footprint and a key component used to create dozens of shorter, vertical clips that are meant to go viral on short-form platforms like TikTok and Reels.

This shift has both democratized and fragmented the music video landscape, making it easier for indie artists to gain traction while simultaneously making it harder for any single video to achieve the monoculture dominance that was possible in the MTV era.