26 MaY 2022
Past Rebels, Future Hits: Predictive AI Watches Decades of Viral Music Videos to Discover Trends Through Time
Like teenage blog poetry you forgot to delete and too-skinny jeans from your indie sleaze era, music videos are the ultimate time capsules.
This data was generated by Sphere, a market research solution driven by diagnostic and predictive AI. It applies machine learning algorithms on internet data to uncover insights about customer intelligence, cultural shifts, and market trends. Like teenage blog poetry you forgot to delete and too-skinny jeans from your indie sleaze era, music videos are the ultimate time capsules. They freeze moments in musical history, capturing the cultural zeitgeist with all its glorious highs and embarrassing lows. They are portals into the collective consciousness of a specific time, offering a glimpse into the prevailing trends, aesthetics and values of an era.
But music videos are more than just visual storytelling and creative expression; they can be crucial to a musician’s commercial success. They are potent promotional tools, creating hype and capturing potential fans. A standout music video has the power to go viral, reaching millions worldwide and propelling an artist to superstardom.
Charting cultural evolution with artificial intelligence
Using predictive AI, we analyzed music videos spanning four decades to capture the cultural spirit of each era. These videos had a few billion views each, making them some of YouTube’s most-watched content of their time.Sphere’s video evaluation model analyzed each video frame to determine the contextual meanings they represent. The AI model was trained on nearly half a billion image and meaning associations to understand how we see the world, enabling it to identify the values and
archetypes that emerge from each video.The findings revealed distinctive stylistic trends and social narratives for every decade, offering a window into the aspirations, dreams, and anxieties of each generation.
Defining the decades through visual analysis
1980s
These early music videos were raw, black-and-white slices of life, made from footage of backstage antics and onstage flamboyance. They captured a world of cigarettes, big hair, guitars and glamorous girls, defining an era of unapologetic rock ’n’ roll.
Videos analyzed:
Bon Jovi — Livin’ On A Prayer
Guns N’ Roses — Sweet Child O’ Mine
The Police — Every Breath You Take
1990s
The 1990s brought forth a powerful wave of rock and grunge, with introspective anthems for the displaced and disillusioned. Through visual and lyrical storytelling, the songs captured the struggle of a generation grappling with the aftermath of war, civil unrest, and existential despair.
Videos analyzed:
Nirvana — Smells Like Teen Spirit
Scorpions — Winds of Change
The Cranberries — Zombie
2000s
The 2000s witnessed the rise of the pop diva — charismatic powerhouses that pushed creative boundaries with kitsch with commercial appeal. They redefined the concept of ‘diva’, showcasing diverse styles that celebrated female empowerment, from bold self-expression of Lady Gaga to the candy-coated world of Katy Perry and the relatable storytelling of Taylor Swift.
Videos analyzed:
Katy Perry — Hot N Cold
Lady Gaga — Bad Romance
Taylor Swift — You Belong With Me
2010s
The 2010s saw the emergence of cultural collaborations and alternative genres, paying homage to past and grassroots sounds like Latin, funk and hip-hop. Visually, artists stayed true to their roots as well, celebrating authenticity and the unassuming everyman as the unlikely hero. Their stories unfold against everyday backdrops, from the parking lot to the barber shop.
Videos analyzed:
Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee — Despacito
Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars — Uptown Funk
Wiz Khalifa feat. Charlie Puth — See You Again
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