Why Your Band Needs a Music Video
(and No, Lyric Videos Don’t Count)
Let’s get one thing straight—if your band doesn’t have a music video, you’re playing with one hand tied behind your back. I don’t care how good your track is or how “pure” you want to keep the music. In 2024, people need to see you. If you’re still thinking, “Nah, we’ll just put out an audio track and let the music speak for itself,” then good luck staying invisible. A music video isn’t just some nice extra—it’s your golden ticket to getting noticed, booked, and remembered.
1. People Are Visual Animals
Like it or not, people need something to look at. You could have the best song in the world, but if all you’ve got is a static image or some cringy lyric video, guess what? People are scrolling past. A music video gives your track a face. It’s how you turn that song into something tangible. Music is emotional, and visuals lock that emotion in. Without a video, your song is just noise in the endless void of the internet.
2. Stand Out or Get Left Behind
There’s a million bands out there grinding away, releasing new tracks every day. What are you doing to stand out? Having a music video is how you separate yourself from the endless sea of mediocre bedroom recordings. It doesn’t need to be some high-budget production either. But it does need to reflect who you are as a band and what you’re about. The right video can make people remember your name long after they’ve closed their YouTube tab.
3. Show Your Face, Show Your Energy
People want to see you. They want to know what you’re about, how you move, how you perform. A music video is how you show that off. Sure, studio recordings are cool, but they don’t tell the whole story. Your video can capture that raw energy you bring to your live shows, or the vibe that makes your band unique. It’s a way for people to connect with you on a level that goes way beyond just hearing a track.
4. It’s a Marketing Weapon
A music video isn’t just a “nice-to-have”—it’s one of the most effective tools in your band’s marketing arsenal. Shareable, clickable, rewatchable. People want to share good videos, and that’s how your music spreads. You drop a killer video, and suddenly people who wouldn’t have found you are tagging their friends and posting it on their socials. It’s 2024—if you’re not making videos, you’re making your job a thousand times harder.
5. You Can Tell a Story
Your music already tells a story, but a video cranks that storytelling up to 11. Whether it’s a narrative-driven visual, some surreal, trippy imagery, or just a gritty live performance, a video lets you show people the world your music lives in. It adds a whole new layer to your song. And for some fans, that’s what hooks them for life—they see your world, and they want in.
Conclusion: You Can’t Afford to Skip It
If you’re still thinking a music video is just an extra expense or a “maybe one day” project, wake up. It’s essential if you want to stay relevant, period. You’re either going to be a band that people remember or a band that disappears into the noise. You choose. So, stop making excuses, get the camera rolling, and make something that gives your music the life it deserves.
Because if you’re not out there putting in the work, someone else is. And they’re the ones getting booked, not you.
