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Music
videos were one of the first types of media that were distributed on the
net and compromise a high proposition of all watched and
downloaded streaming multimedia files.
If
you surf the net and search for music videos, you will discover a
cornucopia of web sites offering music videos. Some are paid sites that require a
subscription to access the videos - others like AOL, require you
to subscribe to the ISP service. Another good source of music videos are
the various record company web sites as well as specific sites, hosted
by these multimedia conglomerates, that feature a specific artists and
their recordings. Some sites provide a wide range of musical styles
while others just concentrate on a certain genre.
There
are a variety of free sites that are either totally independent of the
record companies or are affiliated with a variety of companies. Some of
the smaller free sites just provide links to music videos hosted at the
record company sites - others actually host the videos themselves.
The
free sites often provide a range of quality options for you to choose
form - depending on your connection to the Internet, and or your brand
of computer and operating system, you can select between accessing high
bandwidth 300 kbps streams or smaller 20 k streams suitable for dial up
modems.
Most
sites also offer a choice of download file formats - you can usually
select between Real Media, Windows Media and QuickTime. Some sites offer
avi or asf files that can be downloaded to your computer and be played
back later.
So
which is best? A lot depends on what kind of music you like - some sites
have a classic rock and roll emphasis while others may lean more
to hip hop and rap. Here are our choices for the top ten FREE music
video sites for 2003 - in alphabetical order.
If
you like music videos, you got to check out Artist
Direct for some of the latest and best music videos you can find
anywhere on the net. Artist Direct includes music in a wide selection of
formats - from alternative rock to blues to hip hop to new age, reggae,
rock and world music. This site also includes free featured MP3 music
downloads, news and gossip. And of course, you can buy stuff -
everything from CDs to books t-shirts and sneakers.
The
Boards
Music
Video page spotlights some of the coolest and artistic
music videos you will see anywhere. This is not your typical music video
site - no big hits, no top forty bands. With these videos, style
and images are the most important aspect - music second. These videos exemplify and
explore differing ways of making and creating videos that include music
of all types and cultures.
Check out the new
Internet Video Magazine Streaming Video Channel for Music News
Blastro.com
provides the "on-demand generation" with entertainment they
can access on the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to enhance
their lifestyles. Blastro features original programming, music videos,
and live interactive TV. They produce highly original programming
that you won't see anywhere else. Their music videos run the gamut from
rock, metal, R&B, hip-hop to trance, electronica and pop/dance
tunes.
InterneTV
is a very busy site with lots of information and links - you can choose
between individual music videos or you can pick to watch various
pre-programmed play lists. They cover a variety of genres including
Industrial, Techno, Ambient, Alternative, Country, and Urban. You can
watch videos at 56K, 100K and 300K. They even offer a section with hot
European videos.
 
LAUNCH
offers thousands of great music videos at a variety of download speeds
and resolutions. The full-screen 300 Kbps stuff looks pretty good and
sounds wonderful. Even better, it is free - but you do have to
sign up for Yahoo. You can watch videos, you can listen to various
Internet radio stations, you can buy tickets to upcoming shows and
concerts.
If
you want to see some of the latest and coolest music videos on the web,
make sure you check out Lycos TV. The
music video section spotlights new music videos as well as provides an
extensive archive of older music videos. Music videos cover all the
genres - rock, jazz/swing, pop, country, urban, Christian, electronic,
Latin, reggae, alternative and "backstage" which features
behind the scenes interviews with musicians and fans
MP4.com
is associated with MP3.com, EMusic.com and RollingStone.com and offers
a good selection of music videos that run the gamut from pop to
electronica to hip hop to country.. If you are looking for something
different in the way of music videos but with good quality, this is the
web site to check out. In addition, there have a bunch of cool short
videos and animations. FYI - if you are into games, check out their
gaming section!
www.mssvision.com
is all about music videos from independent artists. We provide Artists
with some tools for Internet promotion as: sending videos by e-mail,
allowing Artists to link to their videos. Many of the videos are
synchronized with Artist's story, links comments etc.
And of course, the other headliner in
the world of online music video is MTV.com and their web
music video page. A bit more edgy than Rolling Stone's page, the MTV
site offers the latest new videos, as well as full-length versions of
videos that often you see played short. You also get online access to a
variety of MTV productions including MTV.com Unplugged and live
performances. And of course, there are message boards to discuss your
favorite performers, guide to what is playing on moth MTV and MTV2, as
well as the ability to buy stuff. For those with very fast broadband
Internet connections, MTV features a special Broadband
Zone section of high resolution streaming music videos.
As you would expect, The Rolling Stone
Magazine music
video page is among the royalty of Internet music video web sites.
They feature the latest videos from the industry's top performers and
bands, plus a good collection of past favorite videos. The web site also
includes video interviews with artists and bands. You can also join chat
sessions to discuss your favorite artists and their videos, as well as
rate the songs and performances. And as this is Rolling Stone, you can
buy stuff.
Rolling Stone Top NEW Music Videos
Runner-Ups
- not in the top ten but very good anyhow...
The
Raft.Com is a cool site for music videos and music webcasts. In
addition, you can win contests for free tickets and other goodies. This
site is sponsored by Virgin Records, part of EMI Recordings.
FMITV
provides a nice assortment of current and relatively new music videos to
select from. They offer the streams in both 56K speed for dial-up users
as well as 300K speed for broadband. Nice quality - especially when you
hit the full page display button.
Like
to watch the latest music videos? Have a high speed broadband connection
to the Internet? Check out VH1's Broadband
Zone - featuring the hottest music videos from all the big stars. I
really like the section featuring the top 100 music videos of all time
(but you only get 30 seconds of each, darn it).
Not really a music video web site per se but a wonderful search engine
for all things multi-media, SingingFish
is nontheless a great site for finding the music video you are searching
for. Unlike gogole or Yahoo - SingingFish specializes in
mp3s, Music videos, Movie trailers,
TV/radio news and broadcasts, Sports games, Web-cam
footage and other entertainment content
Looking for some alternative and punk
videos that you can't find anywhere else? Check out Screen
Edge Music. This includes classic cuts from Throbbing Gristle, Black
Flag, Cherry Bombz, and others. You have a choice of watching the videos
as a live stream or downloading the video to your hard drive to savor
over and over again.
Looking
for thousands of current and classic music videos? And you want to
watch them high resolution (up to 1 Mbps!)
Check out MusicBrigade.com.
This site offers a wide choice of both pay and free music videos, You
can select from a wide range of styles and channels including dance,
metal, punk, pop, oldies, R&B, hip-hop, rock and even special
channels dedicated to Swedish rock and Kylie Minoque. (In fact, they
have a whole section just dedicated to Kylie!). In addition, they offer
these clips in either the full length or just 30 second clips. You can
choose to view these at 56K download speeds, or at 90K, 450K or an
incredible 1,000K. Definitely worth adding to your favorites list! This
site is no longer free - but you can check it out for 3 days without
having to pay.
Do
you like music videos? Check out VideoC
from United Kingdom. They have links to an incredible range of new
and old music videos - of all types and genres. A great source for rare
and hard to find Europe music. The only gotcha is that the clips are
only 30 seconds long. However, for quick sampling, you can beat this.
Warner
Bros Music Video
JukeBox provides access to the entire list of Warner Bros artists
and their videos. In addition, most of the selected videos also have
links to additional fan information and to the artist's web sites. In
addition, you can find and listen to songs that do not have videos.
Not
all music videos are produced by the commercial music machines.. check
out the Canadian ZED site and their music
video page Some of these music videos are very slick, some are quite
rough, and most fall somewhere in between. There is a lot of new music
here - you could spend an evening or two just exploring..
GetMusic
is committed to providing you with unprecedented access to your favorite
artists and music, while introducing you to the stars and sounds of
tomorrow. They feature the latest audio and video clips, in-depth artist
coverage and news; exciting contests and games; exclusive performances,
and interviews with artists and performers.
GetMusic also has cool interactive
features that let you express yourself. Share your opinions on the
community boards, create your own music videos with Videolab, record
your favorite songs with GetMusic Karaoke or help discover the next big
thing on Bands to Bet On.
* Honorable Mention for Slant Magazine and
their article about the Top
100 Music Videos of all time - no links to videos but great
information about the videos, artists and producers.
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