Music released on video verses on album
Originally companies released music on video after observations of the record market; in a few cases the video was scheduled (though it didn’t always happen) for release after the relevant album had charted. Exceptions were the PMI (EMI Music Video as it was then) campaign for the Queen series - Greatest Hits (LP) and Greatest Flix (video). There was also a book Queen’s Greatest Pix. But that was a special event. Olivia Newton-John’s Physical was another example of the dual approach - but again that was an exceptional release, as Olivia Newton-John had become a movie star more than just a pop singer.
Explains PMI chief Geoff Kempin, “At that time we were looking for the best product to market and we took into account what was happening in the record business, now we are doing video projects regardless of what’s happening in the record side - though obviously when projects dovetail, we time the video to the album release.”
It is difficult to coincide projects because of the considerable time taken to complete a video compared with an album. But there are occasions when an opportunity is too good to miss, and more than one company has enjoyed the benefits of joint promotion of an album and a video.