As we found in our recent article Digital Cannibalism, the world of music is changing. A lot of what the music industry has built its foundations on has been moved online, physical CD sales are down, the 40 is mainly made up of downloads and you can interact with your favourite stars through the many social media mediums.

With all this in mind, it is no surprise that music videos are starting to make their first few baby steps into the online world. ‘How can music videos be any different online than offline’ I hear you cry! Well, the difference is that they are interactive. The narrative of online ‘music videos’ are purely in the hands of the audience who can dictate the direction in which the video goes.

Interactive online videos are still very much an experimental thing but the ones that have come out are really interesting and the scope for creative thinking is huge. It has added a new dimension to the music video and if they off, they are going to head in some very interesting directions.

Anyway, enough of the chat, on to the good stuff…. Heaboxs top #5 interactive music videos:

1# The Arcade Fire: Neon Bible - the title track from The Arcade Fire’s 2nd album recieved the interactive video treatment. Featuring lead singer Win Butler, you can click his hands and head to direct the video and the many random things that happen within it.

2# Cold War Kids: I’ve Seen Enough - By clicking on the colours above each band members head you can chop and change the style that each band member plays the song. You can also blank band members out to hear more intimate versions of the song.

3# MGMT: Electric Feel - A little bit of cheat as you have to download this one, nevertheless it’s still an interactive video. The band of last summer provide an unsurprisingly psychedelic set of situations to guide yourself through!

4# Labuat: Soy Tu Aire - Going continental here, Spanish band Labuat got some serious buzz earlier this year with their interactive video for Soy Tu Aire. Beautiful visuals will persuade you to listen to the whole song, even though you probably won’t understand it!!

5# Julian Perretta: Ride My Star - Just about scrapes it in, only worth it if you have a webcam and a printer! A 3D interactive tracking video that recognises the print out. Interesting concept but a bit too much hard work.

So, there you go, our top 5 interactive music videos. I am sure that over the next few months this genre will develop and we will begin to see some truly innovative ideas come to the fore.

Have a great weekend!