No one talks about music videos being a fad anymore. Where rock bands once griped about having to make a 3-minute video to get on MTV, they now eagerly use new and profitable video strategies. All of these are to entice holiday season shoppers and capture anyone seeking that new toy for the VCR.
Long-play music videos have become more and more popular, finding their way into almost every consumer record store. Most stardom-level bands - and many sub-star outfits - have started releasing concert videos, conceptual videos and video-single compilations (a video "Greatest Hits") that often include a short interview with the band just to make it different from what a viewer might see on MTV.Video singles are expensive to make - they average $50,000-$75,000 each day of production - but they've become an essential means of selling albums. And now through video compilations, they're another way to turn a profit. Many bands release compilations of four, five or six singles, most selling for between $12 and $19.95 a set. Or they release concert videos for an average of $19.95.
Among the compilations out there in video land: Robert Plant has "Heaven Knows," consisting of five videos for $16.95. INXS has "What You Need," with four videos for $16.95. Aerosmith has "Permanent Vacation," which includes out-takes and a better price of $14.95. Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., George Michael, Talking Heads and John Cougar Mellencamp also have compilations.