$99 Music Videos Connects Directors and Musicians

You’ve heard the joke a thousand times: Remember when MTV used to play music videos?

As a child of the 90′s, I’ve always been a fan of the low budget music video. Insert grainy black and white effect HERE.

A new venture between Next New Networks and Verizon FiOS, 99DollarMusicVideos, hopes to connect the bridge between rookie artists and independent filmmakers. The site plans to release a new music video weekly and distribute it through YouTube and iTunes.

THE RULES

1. It must be made for $99 (or less)

2. It must be shot in one day (24 hours).

3. It must be edited in one day (this doesn’t include rendering, digitizing, or exporting – just the creative part of editing).

4. It must be a collaboration between the band and the filmmaker.

The only video currently available is from a band named La Strada. Personally, I’m a bit surprised the site didn’t build up a repository of more music videos before releasing the site to the public. But hopefully a team of impressive creative minds and the financial power of FiOS can overcome this obstacle.

Each video will jam FiOS down your face before the music starts. A visit to the site’s “Advertise” link reveals that you should expect more ads in the future. No good site comes without a price, eh?

To get started, directors need to hook up bands. Watch a video about submitting a video here.

Join Baratunde Thurston (left), The Onion’s Director of Digital and author of How to Be Black, for an entertaining look at creative social media campaigns in our Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting February 16. Other speakers include Morin Oluwole (Facebook), Tim Devane (bitly), and SocialTimes' writer Devon Glenn.   Register now.