"Golden Apple" and the failure of a series of billion-dollar MVs in Vietnamese music industry

Billion-dollar MVs quickly sink into oblivion

Recently, Tuan Hung decided to remove the MV Golden Apple (a new product he released on the evening of May 15), after facing a series of criticisms from the public. Previously, the male singer revealed that this was the most expensive music product he has ever made, with a cost of up to several billion VND.

Despite spending a lot of effort and nurturing time of 3 years and 5 months, Tuan Hung's MV was assessed as bland, sloppy and lacking creativity in both content and music. Sharing with Dan Viet, director and cultural researcher Ngo Huong Giang said: " The Golden Apple is a "disaster", "a forgettable out-of-place note" in the overall "20-year colorful symphony" of this male artist".

Image in MV "Golden Apple" by Tuan Hung. (Photo: Producer)

Before Tuan Hung, many Vietnamese artists had failed with billion-dollar MVs. In 2023, Soobin Hoang Son returned to the Vietnamese music "race" with the song Heyyy . According to some information, the male singer invested more than 1.5 billion VND in the launch of this product. However, the song quickly sank into oblivion, making almost no achievements in the music market.

In 2019, Dam Vinh Hung also heavily promoted the MV Future Wife. The male singer said this was   The music product was carefully invested and spent a lot of money to make. The product featured 50 beauties from all professions and was filmed for 6 days at the most beautiful locations in the US, 1 day in Vietnam, with a budget of more than 1 billion VND. However, after 5 years, this song has only reached 5 million views on YouTube, and very few people remember that Dam Vinh Hung once released such an invested product.

Soobin Hoang Son in the MV "Hey". (Photo: NVCC)

In the program Multidimensional Glass, Hoang Yen Chibi revealed about the investment for the music project "Wounded Flower" released in 2020. Although she did not share the specific number, the female singer said the amount was less than 5 billion VND, even her mother sold her house to give money to her daughter. Hoang Yen Chibi's product is not bad, but it cannot create a breakthrough for the female singer's career. The images and melodies in the MV are both commented to have many similarities with Chinese historical films, with a strong Chinese color instead of expressing Vietnamese culture.

Investing in MV is no longer a trend

The phrase "billion-dollar MV" once attracted public attention, but now no longer has much of a media effect. In addition, other music platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music are increasingly developing, competing strongly with YouTube. The short video trend on TikTok also has a strong impact on users, determining the birth of a series of famous "hits".

MONO released the MV "Waiting for you" after the song had a solid position in the market. (Photo: Producer)

Talking to PV Dan Viet , musician and music producer Duong Truong Giang said that YouTube still plays a decisive role in popularizing a musical work, however, audio versions still have their own market: "The nature of listening to music is that we only need to listen to the audio version, but releasing MVs is a way for artists to legitimize the launch of their products and warm up their names in the current music market. Besides, through MVs, they can also express their ideas and creativity."

Musician Duong Truong Giang also commented that after the Covid-19 pandemic, economic difficulties have emerged, making investing in a music video no longer as easy as before: "The music market is gradually becoming simpler with more audio versions appearing. Many artists are excited about this, because not everyone has the budget to invest in music videos. When the videos are invested in and carefully staged, the public has rich and interesting spiritual food. Meanwhile, the popularity of audio versions helps the listening experience to be better, leading to many creative creations in art."

Musician Duong Truong Giang. (Photo: FBNV)

Also according to musician Duong Truong Giang, whether a musical work is accepted by the public or not depends largely on the quality of the song, the investment in image is only secondary: "Investing in a billion-dollar MV proves the dedication of the artists, because to release such a musical product, they have to spend a lot of time, effort, and money. Their purpose is to bring the audience a beautiful and interesting spiritual food. That's why I regret that they are not accepted by the public. In a society where anyone can release music at the present time, the audience's selection is very clear. An inappropriate song will be quickly forgotten by the market."

Meanwhile, singer Hoang Yen Chibi said that nowadays, many artists release MVs but no longer focus on investing money. Instead, they care about how the song conveys emotions to the listener, how the images match the lyrics. In fact, the biggest hits of recent times such as: Waiting for you (MONO); A Loi ( Double2T)... all reached the public not through MVs, but through audio versions or TV game shows. Only when the song becomes popular, do these artists invest in making MVs to increase its popularity.

Mr. Lam Thoi Dai, Director of Thoi Dai Record Company, shared that recently, MVs are gradually being returned to their proper position and function. "It is a tool and means to promote the artist's album. The number of views for MVs on YouTube has decreased sharply, on the contrary, streaming services have begun to receive more attention. YouTube is no longer a measure of success like it used to be, because audiences have actually listened to music on paid platforms or spent money to buy physical tapes and discs - which provide better sound quality" - Mr. Lam Thoi Dai shared with PV Dan Viet.

Source: https://danviet.vn/qua-tao-vang-va-that-bai-cua-loat-mv-tien-ty-trong-lang-nhac-viet-20240526064913301.htm